/payments

News and resources on payments systems, innovations and initiatives worldwide.

Visa boasts it is fuelling BNPL around the world

With new RBC analysis suggesting that the US buy now, pay later market is set for explosive growth, Visa says issuers, acquirers and fintechs are snapping up its instalment payments technology.

5 comments

Visa boasts it is fuelling BNPL around the world

Editorial

This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community.

In Asia Pacific, HSBC has tapped Visa Installments to roll out BNPL options, joining Moneris, CIBC, Commerce Bank, Desjardins, ScotiaBank and others in North America, and Home Credit Bank and Russian Standard Bank in Russia.

Visa is also working with Cybersource, FIS, Global Payments and Tsys in markets across the globe to enable its technology.

Meanwhile, this week Visa announced that one of the original BNPL giants, Klarna, has signed a global brand deal to accelerate its expansion and scale in several markets.

Visa's enthusiasm for the sector is in line with recent RBC Capital Markets analysis which suggests that there remains a large untapped market outside of Millennials and GenZ consumers in the US, fuelled by a strong preference for instalment payments over credit.

The US BNPL market could comprise around 50% of the global market by 2024 - making it worth more than $3 trillion.

However, the sector's popularity is causing unease in some parts. With the UK government opening a consultation on regulating BNPL firms, new figures from Credit Karma suggest that shoppers in the country have accumulated more than £4 billion in outstanding debt so far this year.

James Andrews, senior personal finance editor, money.co.uk, says: "The £4 billion figure revealed from this new research is certainly eye-watering, but is potentially just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the levels of the debt consumers have with providers like Klarna, Clearpay and Laybuy."

Sponsored [New Impact Study] Mastering the Transition to ISO 20022: Strategies for Compliance and Automated Testing in Financial Services

Comments: (5)

Declan Clements

Declan Clements Director at FinFX Consulting Ltd

Visa won't be boasting when BNPL goes the same way as mortgages did in 2008.

Ketharaman Swaminathan

Ketharaman Swaminathan Founder and CEO at GTM360 Marketing Solutions

The originators of subprime mortgages went laughing all the way to the bank in 2008. So will Visa. Can't say the same thing about the guy who is left holding the BNPL bag if and when the music stops. 

A Finextra member 

This is an interesting report. BNPL seems to target vulnerable market segments. 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/Debt%20and%20Money%20Publications/BNPL%20report%20(FINAL).pdf

A Finextra member 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/Debt%20and%20Money%20Publications/BNPL%20report%20(FINAL).pdf

Ketharaman Swaminathan

Ketharaman Swaminathan Founder and CEO at GTM360 Marketing Solutions

One man's Vulnerable Market is another man's Financial Inclusion / Democratization of Financial Services / Disruption Mantra / Noble Cause / Path to Frothy Valuation. Take your pick.

[Webinar] The Automation Imperative in Asset ServicingFinextra Promoted[Webinar] The Automation Imperative in Asset Servicing