In anticipation of new Consumer Duty rules in the UK, BNPL firm Klarna has partnered with the Money Advisor Network to provide cash-strapped customers with free advice on how to manage their debts.
Through the partnership Klarna will signpost debt advice services from members of the Money Adviser Network to its customers.
The Money Adviser Network is provided by MoneyHelper, a UK Government body, and connects consumers directly to the debt advice services of StepChange, Citizens Advice or the National Debtline.
The move comes as Klarna, along with the rest of the financial services industry, prepares for the FCA’s implementation of its Consumer Duty, which will set higher and clearer standards of consumer protection across firms and requires them to put their customers' needs first.
With the threat of further regulatory intervention hanging over the BNPL market, Klarna has rolled out a string of initiatives aimed at helping people to borrow more responibly. This includes the launch of Klarna’s credit ‘opt out’ tool enabling customers to ‘pre-decide’ not to use credit, and its ongoing work with Fairer Finance to ensure its terms and conditions are clear and simple to understand. The firm is also trialing Open Banking data to improve its affordability assessments.
Flora Coleman, director of global policy and government relations at Klarna, said: “We are proud to be the first BNPL service to join forces with MAN and give customers a simplified route to debt advice, and are calling on other BNPL providers to join us in providing the same access to advice and support, to ensure that customers’ interests are always put first.”