Buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans from companies like Affirm, Afterpay and Klarna have exploded as an alternative to credit cards. In January, the CFPB reported that more than two-thirds of BNPL loans went to borrowers with lower credit scores, raising both growing consumer risks and risks for providers. Amid economic uncertainty, BNPL continues to grow with transaction volumes multiplied 20 times since 2019. But how do these companies make money?
WSJ spoke with Affirm and Afterpay to learn about the industry’s growth, its risks and its new opportunities.
Chapters:
0:00 BNPL’s rise
0:35 How these companies make money
2:54 Growth and merchant partnerships
4:35 The risks
6:52 Credit reports and regulation
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The Economics Of
How do the world’s most successful companies generate revenue? In this explainer series, we’ll dive into the surprising stories behind how businesses work–exploring everything from Costco’s “treasure-hunt” model to the economics behind Amazon’s AWS.
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