Search Results
Briefing
The Rise of Buy Now, Pay Later: Bank and Payment Network Perspectives and Regulatory Considerations
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) products offered by fintechs have gained traction among consumers andmerchants in recent years and could compete with credit cards as a payment option. We explore thereactions of banks and payment networks to BNPL products as well as the current regulatory environment.
Briefing
The Appeal and Proliferation of Buy Now, Pay Later: Consumer and Merchant Perspectives
Use of buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment products has been growing in the United States. We explore the benefits and risks of BNPL products for consumers and merchants.
Discussion Paper
How and Why Do Consumers Use “Buy Now, Pay Later”?
In a previous post, we highlighted that financially fragile households are disproportionately likely to use “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) payment plans. In this post, we shed further light on BNPL’s place in its users’ household finances, with a particular focus on how use varies by a household’s level of financial fragility. Our results reveal substantially different use patterns, as more-fragile households tend to use the service to make frequent, relatively small, purchases that they might have trouble affording otherwise. In contrast, financially stable households tend to not use ...
Discussion Paper
Who Uses “Buy Now, Pay Later?”
“Buy now, pay later” (BNPL) has become an increasingly popular form of payment among Americans in recent years. While BNPL provides shoppers with the flexibility to pay for goods and services over time, usually with zero interest, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has identified several areas of potential consumer harm associated with its growing use, including inconsistent consumer protections, and the risk of excessive debt accumulation and over-extension. BNPL proponents have argued that the service enables improved credit access and greater financial inclusion, with ...
Report
Understanding Consumer Demand for “Buy Now, Pay Later”
Consumer demand for “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) has surged, but the specific attributes consumers value remain unclear. We conduct a novel probabilistic stated choice experiment varying BNPL attributes across hypothetical scenarios to estimate consumers’ underlying preferences and their willingness to pay (WTP) for each feature. Consumers have a negative WTP for the standard bundle, on average, but younger and lower income consumers have stronger demand. Simulating consumer demand with estimated preference parameters reveals that most shifts away from the standard BNPL bundle reduce ...