Podcasts about bnpl

Today on The Peak Daily: Canada's long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge finally gets an opening date, and buy now, pay later lenders set their sights on rent payments. Plus, in the big picture: Anthropic releases a new model, Apotex boosts its IPO target, and the Parti Québécois vows to pull Quebec out of the Alto high-speed rail project.The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com 

Payments don't fail because teams lack ambition, they fail because the infrastructure can't keep up with what customers expect. We sit down with Mike Milotich, CEO of Marqeta, to unpack how modern issuer processing is changing card issuing from a rigid bank product into configurable, real-time payments infrastructure built for innovation.We trace Mike's 20-year journey across American Express, PayPal, Visa, and now Marqeta, and use that ecosystem view to explain what actually makes a card program work: issuer economics, consumer behavior, local market nuance, and the ability to iterate fast. Along the way, we break down what Marqeta does as an API-first, cloud-based issuer processor operating at global scale and high reliability, and why “building blocks” beat one-size-fits-all platforms when you're trying to launch, learn, and adjust.Then we look ahead at the biggest growth opportunities in card issuing and embedded finance: multinational issuing on a single stack, flexible credentials that can behave like debit, credit, and BNPL, and a broader product continuum that meets customers where they are in their financial journey. We also dig into personalization of rewards, AI-driven experiences, risk and fraud tooling, stablecoin-backed cards for faster cross-border movement, and the early shape of agentic commerce.If you care about the future of payments, card issuing, and customer engagement, this episode is for you.

This interview features MobiKwik CEO Bipin Preet Singh discussing how India's FinTech landscape is shifting from payments to sustainable, compliant credit ecosystems. He emphasises that innovation must align with the “spirit of regulation,” advocating proactive engagement with regulators and industry‑led SROs. With UPI now commoditised, Singh sees differentiation emerging through credit‑first products, embedded financial services, CBDC integration, and innovations like Pocket UPI and the F1rst RuPay credit card. MobiKwik's pivot from BNPL to longer‑tenure EMI and secured lending reflects a risk‑balanced, regulation‑aligned strategy supported by co‑lending partnerships under FLDG norms. As the company scales toward its post‑IPO vision, its full‑stack platform—spanning payments, credit, savings, and merchant services—aims to drive responsible, profitable growth

Britta Wehner erklärt, wie lynck als Technischer Service Partner ohne Factoring BNPL ermöglicht – und warum Online-Apotheken, ÖPNV und Pay by Bank zum Fokus gehören.

BNPL programs have helped big box retailers boost sales for years... How mom and pop stores can get in on the action as well (at 14:16) --- What is 'biohacking'? The radical theory behind the idea that there's a difference between living longer and living better - or, ideally, doing both (at 20:57) --- What's Happening: Scouting America is all about outdoor adventures, and it's shaping up to be a busy summer for the Black Swamp Area Council (at 43:52)

Vivian dives into the truth about Buy Now, Pay Later services and why splitting a purchase into “four easy payments” might be way more dangerous than it looks. In this episode, she breaks down how companies like Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm exploded in popularity, why these payment plans are changing the way people shop, and how BNPL can quietly wreck your budget and credit score if you're not careful. In this episode, you'll learn: 1. What Buy Now, Pay Later services actually are, how they evolved from old-school layaway programs, and why modern BNPL combines some of the riskiest parts of both layaway and credit cards. 2. Why BNPL can encourage overspending, how multiple small payments create a false sense of affordability, and what happens to your credit score if you miss a payment. 3. Who should and definitely should not use BNPL services, plus Vivian's preferred alternatives for building credit, managing cash flow, and making purchases without borrowing against your future income. Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok! Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at podcast@yourrichbff.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest episode of Scratch, Tracey-Lee gets into what it really takes to build trust in a controversial space, how she sells brand investment to a CFO who only speaks performance, and the Black Friday campaign where Payflex faked a data breach and somehow lived to tell the tale. The key takeaway:  1. Radical honesty is not a risk, it's a requirement In a controversial category, you have to be as loud with your rebuttals as your critics are with their attacks. Silence reads as guilt. 2. BNPL customers aren't who the headlines say they are Payflex users are not over-indebted people stretching to survive. They're actualizing. Identity-driven. The emotional need sits at the top of Maslow's hierarchy, not the bottom. 3. The two-year brand cliff is real Cut brand budget today, nothing happens for six months, maybe a year. Then sales tank. And to recover it, you spend two to three times what you cut. The lag is the weapon CMOs need to use in every CFO conversation. 4. Brief writing is a tattoo, not a tick box WATTW. What are we trying to achieve here. If you can't answer that before you brief, you shouldn't be briefing. 5. Marketing is an advocate for the market, not a go-to-market function Marketers need to be in the product room early, sometimes aggressively, because no product strategy survives contact with a customer insight that nobody bothered to bring in. 6. Learn the finances early The biggest unlock in Tracey-Lee's career was understanding what CFOs actually care about: customer equity, market share, lifetime value. Not ROAS. 7. Boldness needs justification, not just instinct The data breach campaign worked because it had a clear strategic logic behind it. Payflex is an innovator and Black Friday demands standout or silence. Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/fPIrrl9Qg3I Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Viren Samani, and he's joined by Tracey-Lee Zürcher-Campbell of Payflex in this episode Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn Find Viren on Linkedin Find Tracey-Lee on Linkedin Say hi at media@wearerival.com, we'd love to hear from you. Rival is a marketing consultancy for brands that want to challenge convention in their category. We're on a mission to understand what challenger brands do differently to grow in categories that are being disrupted, and use a challenger playbook to deliver outsized impact through an integrated, tech-enabled approach. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.If you're interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here

In this episode, Lex chats with Mike Milotich — Chief Executive Officer of Marqeta, the modern card issuing platform that processed nearly $400 billion in payments volume in 2025, and is certified to operate in 40+ countries, growing over 30% for the third straight year. They discuss how Marqeta's separation of bank, processor, and brand armed fintech's largest winners across buy now pay later, on-demand delivery, neo-banking, and expense management with the Lego blocks to build their own card programs.  Mike explains how the company's growth is shifting from enabling new use cases to displacing volume on legacy bank platforms, and they explore why card issuing is going multinational, what the agentic commerce wave actually requires to clear security and behavioural hurdles, and how Marqeta's continued growth runs through embedded finance, real-time personalisation, and the forced modernisation of the banks themselves. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: The BNPL business model is flipping from merchant rails to consumer cards. Marqeta originally solved the merchant scale problem for buy now pay later via virtual cards, removing the need for tens of millions of merchants to integrate a new button at checkout. The current shift is more important: BNPL players are now issuing consumers their own physical and virtual cards usable anywhere cards are accepted, turning BNPL from a merchant-acceptance game into a direct consumer value proposition. BNPL volume has grown over 50% year-on-year for Marqeta in recent quarters. Card issuing is going multinational, and that breaks the legacy bank model. Banks have always been local on the consumer side, with only a handful multinational on the commercial treasury side. The next generation of card issuers, neo-banks like Revolut and Nubank, plus large global platforms embedding financial products into existing user bases, are global by default. A single platform that issues cards, and is certified to operate across 40+ countries, becomes the strategic moat, and legacy processors built to serve domestic bank programs aren't structured to compete. The growth story is moving from expanding the pie to displacing the incumbents. To date, Marqeta has mostly powered new card use cases that didn't exist before — on-demand delivery, BNPL, neo-banking, expense management. Mike's forward thesis is a phase change: pressure from fintech winners is forcing banks to modernise, and the next leg of growth comes from displacing volume sitting on legacy bank-controlled platforms. Real-time personalised rewards, where the same card delivers different offers to different cardholders based on live data, is the wedge that legacy infrastructure can't deliver. TOPICS Marqeta, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Payments, card issuing, embedded finance, fintech, BNPL, neobank, agentic commerce, e-commerce, crypto, stablecoins, programmable money, machine economy, agentic AI   ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

Dane transakcyjne wygenerowały w 2024 roku 2,5 biliona dolarów przychodu. To największy segment usług finansowych na świecie. Visa obsługuje rocznie 300 miliardów transakcji w 200 krajach. Polska, jako lider zbliżeń w Europie, lider BNPL, 25 milionów użytkowników aplikacji bankowych, ma jedną z najcenniejszych infrastruktur płatniczych na świecie. To skala, w której każda decyzja zakupowa zamienia się w sygnał. Razem te sygnały mówią o kondycji gospodarki szybciej niż jakikolwiek wskaźnik statystyczny.W tym felietonie Jarosław Kuźniar wspomina 20 lat ekonomii danych transakcyjnych. Od momentu, gdy operatorzy kart byli tylko firmami od logistyki pieniądza. Do dziś, gdy algorytm w ułamku sekundy analizuje 500 cech transakcji i decyduje, czy ją przepuścić. I do pytania o dane. Kto właściwie je słyszy i czy można mu ufać?Z tego odcinka dowiesz się:- Dlaczego ekonomia płatności przerosła bankowość inwestycyjną?- Co zmieniły odwrót gotówki, moc obliczeniowa i AI?- Jak dane transakcyjne zastępują uzupełniają ankiety i raporty GUS?- Jak AI zablokowała oszukańcze transakcje warte 40 miliardów dolarów?- Czym jest „agentic commerce" i jak zmienia sam akt zakupu?- Gdzie kończy się analiza danych, a zaczyna pytanie o zaufanie?Materiał powstał w ramach płatnej współpracy z Visa.Masz pytanie do ekspertów? Możesz je zadać tutaj: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tally.so/r/npJBAV ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠W aplikacji Voice House Club m.in.:✔️ Wszystkie formaty w jednym miejscu.✔️ Możesz przeczytać lub posłuchać.✔️ Transkrypcje odcinków Serii in Brief z dodatkowymi materiałami wideo.Dołącz: ​​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/VoiceHouseClub ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Znajdziesz nas też:

Chantal Marx from FNB Wealth & Investments unpacks Famous Brands's results, with decent growth, refinanced debt and a share buyback in focus. Rademeyer Vermaak from STANLIB Asset Management explains how its systematic process is navigating volatile markets. Plus, Tracey-Lee Zürcher-Campbell from Payflex on the BNPL myths South Africa has disproven.

PLATA DECIDE VANZAREA. Dar majoritatea magazinelor online trateaza plata ca pe un detaliu tehnic. Rezultatul? BANI PIERDUTI IN TACERE. In acest episod de podcast discut cu Elena Gheorghe – Country Manager PayU Romania si Ungaria, despre rolul real al platilor online in ecommerce, despre psihologia din spatele butonului „Plateste" si despre greselile care costa mii sau zeci de mii de euro pe an, fara sa apara clar in rapoarte. Elena conduce una dintre cele mai importante companii de plati digitale din Romania si Europa Centrala si are peste 10 ani de experienta in fintech, ecommerce si solutii de plata moderne (card, wallet, BNPL, Apple Pay, Google Pay, rate online). Acesta NU este un episod tehnic. Este o discutie despre decizie, incredere, bani si leadership. Hai sa tinem legatura: Academia Gomag: https://academia.gomag.ro/  Blog: https://www.gomag.ro/blog/  Comunitatea Gomag: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gomagro/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gomag.ro/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gomag.ro De ce plata online influenteaza vanzarile? Cum afecteaza metodele de plata conversia unui magazin online? De ce pierd magazinele online bani la checkout? Care sunt cele mai frecvente greseli la plata online? Cum functioneaza psihologia platii online? Ce metode de plata prefera clientii din Romania? Cum scazi abandonul cosului la plata? Este BNPL o solutie reala pentru ecommerce? Cum influenteaza increderea procesul de plata? De ce plata online nu este doar o problema tehnica? Cum gandesc liderii fintech despre ecommerce? Ce rol are leadershipul in deciziile financiare ale unui business?

Alekh Sanghera spent his early career as a digital payments consultant at MicroSave, working on Bill Gates Foundation and World Bank rural finance mandates, before realising that the smallholder farmer's biggest problem was not credit but market access. The Indian agritech startup he co-founded, FarMart, is now the country's largest output linkage platform, supplying Britannia, Reliance Retail, ITC, biofuel distillers, and animal feed giants while running a zero-inventory, asset-light business model. In this conversation with host Akshay Datt, Sanghera explains why most B2B marketplaces fail by chasing the trade spread, how FarMart pays farmers same-day by securitising enterprise invoices through SEBI-registered NBFCs, and why the village retailer is infrastructure rather than friction in the Indian food supply chain. The timing matters: India just hit 20 percent ethanol blending, maize and broken rice are now the largest grain feedstocks, and capital-efficient agritech models are the only ones still attracting growth funding in 2026.

Florian Lörsch von Annerton erklärt, welche neuen Anforderungen die Verbraucherkreditrichtlinie an die Kreditwürdigkeitsprüfung stellt – und warum gerade BNPL-Anbieter jetzt genau hinschauen müssen.

Licensed insolvency trustee and Spergel partner Rob Kilner joins Bruce to break down the explosive growth of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platforms and the serious financial risks they pose for Canadian consumers. Rob explains the concept of debt stacking of how small incremental payments across multiple accounts can quietly spiral into unmanageable debt and reveals that "interest-free" BNPL isn't truly free, as costs are typically baked into product pricing. He also shares what happens to BNPL debt in a consumer proposal and offers practical principles for using these platforms more responsibly. Find out more at spergel.ca and connect on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

Recorded live at Money20/20 Bangkok, 2026The FinTech infrastructure race isn't just about payments anymore. Neofin has spent three years rebuilding from a geo-agnostic lending tool into a full financial super app engine; and the businesses buying in aren't banks. They're retailers, telcos, and gas station networks.In this short conversation recorded live at Money2020, I catch up with Svitlanka, Co-Founder of Neofin (and 2nd time Purpose Driven FinTech podcast guest), on what's changed, who they're building for, and why transactions alone no longer create loyalty.Key takeaways: Why non FinTech businesses with large user bases are Neofin's core customerHow NeoFin sits between the retailer and the bank, and what each party coversThe product evolution from standalone lending to wallet, BNPL, and full financial ecosystemWhy 360 experiences beat pure transaction infrastructure for long-term retentionWhat's next….agentic payments and a major European launchWe cover:(00:00) Three years on, what's changed at Neofin(01:30) From lending infrastructure to full FinTech ecosystem(02:30) Who NeoFin's customers are and why retailers are launching BNPL wallets(03:45) The bank + Neofin partnership model explained(04:30) Why transactions don't build loyalty; and what doesFollow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

How many Americans are actually using Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services? And how much is it helping or hurting them financially? Financial Advisors, Brian Preston and Bo Hanson, ⁠⁠⁠⁠break down recent data on BNPL usage, and discuss their concern with the rising trend. Then stick around, we talk about what's on your mind with a Q&A segment directly from YOU! This episode features questions on when it's ok to lease a car, when to hire a financial advisor, what to expect as an employee if your company goes public, and so much more. Jump start your journey with our FREE financial resources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reach your goals faster with our products⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take the relationship to the next level: become a client⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube for early access and go beyond the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with us on social media for more content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bring confidence to your wealth building with simplified strategies from The Money Guy. Learn how to apply financial tactics that go beyond common sense and help you reach your money goals faster. Make your assets do the heavy lifting so you can quit worrying and start living a more fulfilled life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Velera's BNPL experts, Denise Stevens, EVP & Chief Product Officer and Cody Banks, SVP Product Enablement & Growth open up the doors to BNPL and what changes are happening and why credit unions need to pay attention.   Also, Michael gives Natasha and Producer Zach an aptitude quiz to determine if anyone on this show is doing the work that they're supposed to be doing. 

Private equity firms are spending weekends rebuilding acquisition targets in Claude Code. If the clone works, the deal dies. It's the cheapest moat test in human history.This week James and Daniel dig into:• Why token pricing today looks exactly like mobile data pricing 15 years ago• Sam Altman rethinking OS design and the OpenAI phone rumors• GPT Image generating LEGO sets with real BrickLink part IDs• SpaceX acquiring Cursor for up to $60 billion• China blocking Meta's Manus acquisition. Is this the balkanization of AI talent?• Anthropic paying $400K/year for an events role• Chinese micro-dramas: this year's ad platform growth driverPlus: Evan Spiegel called software dead 15 years ago, Sean Frank asks why you still aren't building, and AI agents negotiating your BNPL rates in real time.Thank you to our sponsors:• AdQuick — adquick.com• Thrad.ai — thrad.ai• beehiiv — ⁠beehiiv.comSTAY CONNECTEDJames on Twitter & LinkedIn – /jamesborowDaniel on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok – /danieldrugerSubscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Florian Lörsch von Annerton erklärt, was die CCD2 konkret für BNPL, Rechnungskauf und den Checkout bedeutet – entlang der gesamten Customer Journey.

¡¡NUEVO PODCAST!! Alicia Rábago…  ¿Qué es ser niño?    Gianco Abundiz…. La Canasta Básica; ¿qué incluye y cómo manejarla de mejor manera?”  Gabriela Ávila…  “Alimentación Intuitiva”  Mario Guerra… ¿Cómo manejar  las  discusiones en tu relación?  Roberto Jaime González… El pago BNPL; compra ahora paga después    Alejandro Barbosa… Proyectos de la Fundación Nariz Roja  

CCD2-Umsetzung fix: Das Ende der Grauzonen für BNPL und Kreditkarten naht. Florian Lörsch fasst im Gespräch mit Dana Wondra bei „Alles Legal“ die wichtigsten Änderungen im finalen Gesetz im Vergleich zum bekannten Regierungsentwurf zusammen.

Zip Co has seen its shares spiked up to 24% after announcing an upgrade to its earnings guidance thanks to the US. Gucci is teaming up with Google to launch smart glasses… as it fights to save its profits and make Gucci gucci again. Amazon is acquiring satellite company Globalstar for $11.6 billion to supercharge its space internet ambitions. _ Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAppStore Download the free app (Google Play): http://bit.ly/FluxappGooglePlay Daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/fluxnewsletter Flux on Instagram: http://bit.ly/fluxinsta Flux on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flux.finance —- The content in this podcast reflects the views and opinions of the hosts, and is intended for personal and not commercial use. We do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, statement or other information provided or distributed in these episodes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is a compilation of answers to YOUR questions that were asked directly from my listeners who attend my weekly business education YouTube live webcast. Topics include: would you bet against buy-now-pay-later companies?,  What sectors to focus on for AI?,  How to write a business plan? and more.Refer to chapter marks below for a complete list of topics covered and to jump to a specific section. Get mentored by Chris: Book a Zoom call to discuss joining my Business Academy, Finance Bootcamp (to get a job in finance) or MBA Degree Programs or for investing/business/personal development coaching: https://haroun.short.gy/1on1CallYTWDownload my free "Networking eBook": www.harouneducation.comAttend my weekly YouTube Live every Thursday's 8am-11am PT. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to receive notifications. Learn more about my MBA Degree Program0:25 – Intro & Opening Remarks Call start, welcome, and overview1:05 – Markets, Trading & Macro Day trading, oil (spot vs futures), oil stocks, rates/inflation, buy-now-pay-later10:31 – Geopolitics & Global Economy Trump commentary, India food concerns, Iran & Strait of Hormuz13:23 – Stocks & Company Analysis Nvidia outlook, Deutsche Bank, Anthropic, Zoom Video Communications, SpaceX, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac33:15 – AI Trends & Industry Outlook AI bubble debate, top sectors, why AI firms fail, hedge funds + AI7:18 – Careers, Skills & Education Job rejection, IT careers, business plans, sales vs dev, networking, private credit, MBA vs alternatives45:17 – Life Strategy & Big Picture Marriage vs startups, future of work, starting over1:03:37 – Closing Segment Steve Jobs “No Smarter Than You” Connect with me: Schedule a 1:1 call with Chris: https://haroun.short.gy/1on1CallYTWYouTube: ChrisHarounVenturesCompleteBusinessEducationInstagram @chrisharounLinkedIn: Chris HarounTwitter: @chris_harounFacebook: Haroun Education Ventures  TikTok: @chrisharoun

Gaydos and Gayle Bass explain why there are a growing number of Americans using BNPL for groceries.

Timothy Li, CEO and Co-Founder of LendAPI, has spent nearly a decade trying to solve the same problem: launching a lending product takes too long and costs too much. With LendAPI, he's built a no-code platform that lets banks, credit unions, fintechs, and retailers go from idea to live lending product in weeks, not months or years. Think of it as a GoDaddy-style experience for financial services. Timothy joined me again on the show (he was last on in 2017) to talk about what's under the hood, what the Sunglass Hut deal reveals about embedded finance, and where he thinks AI is actually useful in lending today.What We CoveredTimothy's path from the Fluid college credit app to building LendAPIHow the drag-and-drop product builder works for non-technical usersPython model deployment for credit risk officers inside the same platformWinning Best in Show at FinovateThe Sunglass Hut deal and how it came together in three monthsWhy retailers are moving away from pure-play BNPL providersIntegration options: bank cores, side cores, and direct e-commerce embedThe 300-plus partner marketplace and the SEO strategy behind itDoc AI and single-task AI agents for document processing and underwritingTimothy's experience in the CURQL accelerator and how credit unions differTeaching FinTech Fundamentals at USCThe five consumer verticals with the most opportunity in fintechKey TakeawaysThe build vs. buy debate is essentially over. When Timothy talks to bank CTOs today, the conversation is "can you launch this next week?" not "should we build this ourselves?" Speed to market has become the dominant concern.Pure-play BNPL approval rates are outside a retailer's control and can swing 10 points overnight. Private label embedded finance, built on infrastructure like LendAPI, lets retailers and banks own the underwriting criteria and the customer experience, which matters especially for high-ticket items where the financing decision happens in-store.Single-task AI agents are the near-term opportunity in lending, not fully automated credit decisions. Automating document verification, data extraction, and intake workflows saves minutes per application, and at scale, that compounds quickly.The five consumer fintech verticals worth building in: mortgages, auto, credit cards and personal loans, payments, and bank accounts. If it's in someone's wallet, there's still work to do.About Timothy LiTimothy Li is the CEO and co-founder of LendAPI, a no-code lending platform that launched in 2024 and won Best in Show at Finovate. He previously built Fluid, a credit-building app for college students, and has been building lending infrastructure across multiple ventures over the past decade. He also taught FinTech Fundamentals at the University of Southern California.Connect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Amazon cuts USPS volume, BNPL shapes where Gen Z gets their teeth cleaned, and why your product data is now an AI infrastructure problem.This Watson Weekly episode covers: The Amazon-USPS tentative deal and what a 20% volume reduction actually signals about Amazon's logistics endgame. The Watson Weekly is sponsored by Avalara - the agentic AI platform automating global tax and compliance for leading eCommerce brands. For more details: https://avalaratax.watsonweekly.comNew April 2026 data on Buy Now Pay Later — not an acquisition tool, a retention weapon. Walmart-backed Eko and the quiet war for AI-ready product catalogs. How Revolve turns an absurd return rate into a full-price sales machine. The Investor Minute with Accenture's Ookla acquisition, ProfitMind's Series A, Lio's $30M procurement automation raise, and OpenAI buying Promptfoo.

Rick Watson and Jessica Lesesky break down three retail stories that challenge conventional wisdom this week.Revolve runs a 60% return rate — triple the online average — and just posted a 60% profit surge. They explain how baking return costs into margins and offering frictionless two-day shipping produces 80% full-price sell-through and a customer base that treats their bedroom like a fitting room. Physical storefronts in Aspen and LA are next.The Watson Weekly Weekend edition is sponsored by Avalara — automated tax compliance built for Shopify merchants, from calculation to returns. For more details: https://avalara.watsonweekly.com/Lowe's just launched Home Care Plus: $99 a year gets you two Red Vest associate visits for dryer vent cleaning, HVAC filter swaps, smoke detector batteries, and water heater flushes. The real story is what Lowe's gets in return — appliance age data and a direct line to upsell the aging homeowner market.And Buy Now, Pay Later is no longer just a checkout option. Millennials and Gen Z are 13x more likely than Baby Boomers to choose a merchant based on available financing. Fifty-five percent of Gen Z say installment options influence their choice of healthcare provider. BNPL is now a customer acquisition channel — and merchants paying 4.5–5% in fees may be getting the better end of the deal.

Add $100k+ to your career earnings with tactics from my newsletter below!   https://thecareerearner.beehiiv.com/s...   Why do Gen Z and Millennials seem to use BNPL (buy now, pay later) so much? This video explores the buy now pay later model, breaking down the hidden economic pressures that seem to be emerging due to buy now, pay later and long term decisions shaping this trend of usage by Gen Z and Millennials for BNPL. This is a data driven look at what's really going on with the trap of BNPL and how young adults can be more wise with it.   Check out this page for more on gen z, gen z trends, BNPL analysis, why gen z uses buy now pay later, cost of living, personal finance, lifestyle inflation, housing crisis, student debt, financial pressure, economy and wealth building.   For partnership inquiries, please reach out to info@newmoneynate.com   This video is not legal, financial or any other type of "advice". I am not a lawyer nor a licensed advisor. This entire video is purely for educational purposes only and should not be understood as advice in any way, shape or form.

In This Episode In this episode of Breaking Banks, industry leaders Jason Hass (First Electronic Bank), Mike Jorgensen (U.S. Bank), and Louis Mrachek, (Merrick Bank) connect with Jason Henrichs for a dynamic conversation centered on embedded finance. Embedded finance seamlessly integrates financial services into non-financial platforms. Some examples include BNPL, Lending: Business & Personal Loans, and P&C Insurance, simplifying the claim process and getting the payment. The panel explores how fintechs and banks are evolving from competitors into true partners—combining innovation, compliance, and trust to deliver better customer experiences. They also tackle tensions between speed, risk and regulation, and the critical role banks still play behind the scenes. The future of finance may be invisible — but the trust powering it cannot be. This episode is part of the Hot Takes series, powered by U.S. Bank, and was recorded live at the University of Utah’s FintechXchange Conference.

We're pleased to announce that our latest episode of the Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast is now live and it's one you won't want to miss. In this episode, our host Alan Kaplinsky, founder, Chair for 25 years, and now Senior Counsel of our Consumer Financial Services Group, is joined by Max Dubin, Chief of Staff to the Acting Superintendent of Banking at the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS). As a senior leader at one of the most influential state financial regulators in the country, Max offers a rare and insightful look into how DFS is approaching some of the most important issues facing the consumer financial services industry today. A central focus of the conversation is the Department's proposed framework for regulating the rapidly evolving "buy-now, pay-later" (BNPL) market (read more about BNPL on our Consumer Finance Monitor blog here.) Max provides valuable context on what DFS is aiming to accomplish and how it is thinking about balancing innovation with consumer protection. Among other points, he explains that the DFS is seeking to craft a regulatory approach that reflects how BNPL products actually function in today's marketplace, while also ensuring that consumers receive clear disclosures and are adequately protected from potential risks. We also cover a wide range of additional "hot" topics at DFS, including DFS regulatory, supervisory and enforcement priorities, emerging consumer protection concerns, the DFS' approach to fintech innovation and partnerships, crypto licensure and regulation, New York Governor Hochul's budget priorities, which includes reforms of the insurance industry to make it more affordable, coordination with other state and federal regulators, and what industry participants should expect from DFS in the months ahead. This episode offers practical insights for banks, nonbanks, fintech companies, and their counsel, particularly those focused on compliance, product development, and regulatory strategy. Max's candid and thoughtful perspectives provide a valuable window into the thinking of DFS at a time when state-level regulation is playing an increasingly prominent role. We hope you enjoy the conversation.  This is the second of our 3-part series focused on agencies in New York City and State which have a major impact on banks and non-banks who do business with New York City and State residents. On February 12, we released a podcast show, hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, featuring Jane Azia, Chief of the Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection and Alec Webley, Assistant Attorney General of the New York Attorney General's Office. Among other things, Jane and Alec discussed the New York FAIR Business Practices Act which expanded the scope of New York's consumer protection law to cover unfair and abusive acts and practices as well as deceptive acts and practices. Very soon, we will be releasing Part 3 of the series which will be a conversation between Alan and Commissioner Sam Levine, the head of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.   Consumer Finance Monitor is hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, Senior Counsel at Ballard Spahr, and the founder and former chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Services Group. We encourage listeners to subscribe to the podcast on their preferred platform for weekly insights into developments in the consumer finance industry.

Chantal Marx of FNB Wealth & Investments on Netcare's update and if she's seeing value in the current selloff? Futuregrowth Asset Management's Amrish Narrandes discusses their PE & VC funding, and recent investment into BNPL. René Moonsamy, chair of the National Debt Counselling Association, weighs in on how the NCA and CPA protect consumers.

Recorded live at MPE Berlin in partnership with Ecommpay, this explores how AI, agentic commerce and new payment models are reshaping the industry. Russell Goldsmith spoke with the following guests: 1/ Volodymyr Sytnikov, CEO & Managing Partner, Brainstack 2/ Julia Streets MBE, Founder & CEO, Streets Consulting 3/ Cihan Duezguen, CEO & Co-founder, Green Banana Group 4/ Andre Moeller, Head of Payments, Risk & Fraud, Volkswagen Group Charging 5/ Emre Talay, COO and Co-founder, Payrails 6/ Rita Narkevičienė, Payments Operations Manager, Kiloverse Our guests discuss everything from the future of recurring payments and BNPL orchestration to the realities of fraud, regulation and consumer trust. We dive into how merchants are preparing for agent‑to‑agent transactions, what new failure modes the industry may be underestimating, and whether consumers will trust AI to make, and even finance, purchases on their behalf. From EV charging to digital subscriptions, this episode captures the energy, innovation and debate at Europe's biggest merchant payments conference.

Your BNPL strategy can't be “pick one provider and hope.” When you sell across borders, buy now pay later becomes a payments infrastructure problem: different countries, different regulations, different checkout habits, and a constant pressure to keep conversion high without turning your team into an integration factory. We sit down with Cihan Duezguen, CEO and Co-Founder of Green Banana, to unpack a focused approach to payment orchestration built specifically for BNPL. We talk through why merchants and payment service providers are asking for a single, harmonized API that can connect to multiple BNPL providers while staying invisible to the shopper. Cihan explains what it means to be an agnostic infrastructure layer, why Green Banana doesn't run its own risk or credit checks, and how neutrality creates flexibility for merchants that need to change providers as requirements shift. From there we zoom out to the bigger payments trends Cihan is watching: stablecoins as a back-end innovation that could unlock new value for PSPs, banks, and merchants, plus the rise of agentic commerce where AI agents buy products through voice prompts and automated flows. If those changes land the way he expects, the retailers and payment leaders who prepare now will win the next generation of checkout UX. 

Zimele Mbanjwa from FNB Wealth and Investments unpacks the latest Absa results. The bank screens as the cheapest locally – but do the numbers actually translate into real value for investors? Sean Wibberley, CEO of Weaver Fintech, joins us as the company hits four million customers and lands major partners Takealot and Shoprite on its BNPL platform. And Izak Odendaal from Old Mutual Wealth Investment weighs in on the oil price's impact on global inflation – and what it could mean for the next moves from central banks.

Welcome to Credit Without Constraints, a new four-part podcast miniseries from Fintech Takes, presented with our friends at Spinwheel. The series orbits around one core challenge: how do we make the best possible credit decisions for the benefit of both the consumer and the lender? Data is one of the biggest constraints. Credit outcomes sit downstream of credit data, and today that data is fragmented and inconsistent.  The solution is a deliberately unopinionated approach: put consumers in control, and make data sharing easier than most providers do today (all while delivering the highest-fidelity data possible). In Episode 1, I sit down with Tomás Campos, Co-founder and CEO of Spinwheel. We start with Spinwheel's origin, a founding team obsessed with the liability side of the household balance sheet, and dig into where the traditional credit data system falls short.  We get specific about the gaps: credit bureaus are the original aggregators, but real-time balances, payoff quotes, BNPL trade lines, and the granular detail buried inside a mortgage payment don't fit neatly into today's structures. Tomás says the average lender is running about 14 separate data integrations just to close those gaps. The answer is not to replace what exists. It is to say “yes and.”  What if identity could be the unlock for frictionless data access (versus credentials)? What if consumer permissioning and the spirit of the FCRA pointed toward the same destination all along? What if closing the data gaps was actually good for both lenders and consumers? This episode sets the stage for the entire series.  A "yes and" approach to credit data is a very different way of building fintech infrastructure, but it's starting to change. The rest of the series explores that change, across acquisition, underwriting, and servicing.  Subscribe now to catch what's next. Spinwheel helps financial innovators instantly verify and act on consumer credit using just a phone number and date of birth. Real-time, consented credit data and embedded payments—no passwords, no friction.  Learn more at https://spinwheel.io Sign up for Alex's Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don't forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Tomás: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theinnovativeone/ Learn more about Spinwheel here: https://spinwheel.io

Most money advice for students is either condescending or delusional, and this episode is neither. This one is for the students…and for the parents, aunties, mentors, and big cousins trying to help without lecturing. Today I'm joined by Dr. Paris Woods, bestselling author of The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom and the new Student's Guide to Financial Freedom. We talk about what she saw growing up in St. Louis, the “education is the ticket” promise, and why getting out of poverty isn't the same as building wealth.If you love a young person, send them this episode and then follow up with, ‘did you listen?'We cover:The debt traps waiting for you the moment you turn 18The minimum payment trap and why “on-time payments” can still keep you stuck for yearsWhy “adulting” starts with a credit limit — and how cards + BNPL get marketed like free money.Sticker price vs. net price: How to find your real college cost before you commitCreating a “gap plan” with scholarships + grants + schools that meet need + a realistic part-time job so loans aren't the defaultDreaming as a strategy and finding the answer to “what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?”The importance of building a Freedom Fund so you can take the trip, start the business, or pivot without panickingLinks:Order The Student's Guide to Financial FreedomFollow Dr. Paris Woods: @AuthorParisWoods + ParisWoods.com Connect with Julien and Kiersten on our website, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.Join our email list to get updates from us, opportunities for discounts, freebies and a quick rundown on the relevant financial and career news impacting your life. Get our book Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away, named 2023 best overall book about investing by Business Insider and one of the best personal finance books by ForbesIf you would like to learn more about investing, check out our newest class, Making Money Grow

What if checkout was the growth engine instead of an add-on? We sit down with Ismael Wrixen, CEO of ThriveCart, to explore how a payments-first platform can power the modern creator economy from a $99 template to a $10,000 mastermind without locking you into a brittle tech stack. Ismael breaks down how ThriveCart layers affiliates, an LMS, and marketing automation on top of payments, then uses smart funnels to turn checkout into predictable revenue.The conversation gets especially interesting around financing. As ticket sizes rise, traditional BNPL hits limits on geography and amount. Enter Thrive Pay Installments: interest-free plans using a customer's existing card limit, delivered globally in USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, and AUD. Early data shows 3.3x higher average order values, approvals jumping from ~40% to ~85%, and checkout time collapsing to five seconds. Merchants still get paid up front; buyers spread payments over three, six, or twelve months with no new loan application, no extra friction.We also zoom out to the bigger picture of the creator economy and AI. Demand for reskilling surges as companies retool, and creators step in with specialized courses and coaching across finance, business, wellness, and AI. Ismael shares why flexibility is non-negotiable—keep your payment funnel, swap your LMS, integrate with 50+ tools, and sell globally with automated taxes and e-invoicing support coming online. We discuss where LLM commerce is heading, why human-in-the-loop purchasing still matters, and how adaptive pricing and localized experiences unlock international growth.If you care about conversion, funding bigger baskets, and building a stack that won't trap you as AI reshapes the landscape, this is your roadmap. 

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Grocery Dealz and Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:IKEA's parent company Ingka Group announces that sports retailer Decathlon will open a store inside its Croydon, UK location this spring.New York State releases draft regulations for buy now, pay later lenders, establishing licensing requirements, fee restrictions, and consumer dispute protections in what the state calls a "nation-leading" template.The European Union puts its framework trade deal with the United States on hold following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of Trump's IEEPA tariffs, creating fresh uncertainty for retailers navigating transatlantic sourcing and supply chain strategies.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights.Be careful out there!

Wade Tonkin is the Director of Global Affiliate Marketing at Fanatics, Inc., where he oversees one of the largest and most complex affiliate programs in the world. With over 20 years of experience in performance marketing, he has played a key role in shaping Fanatics' global partner ecosystem, driving growth through content creators, media publishers, loyalty partners, and innovative performance channels.This episode dives deep into the evolution of affiliate marketing at massive scale. The conversation spans growth levers beyond the traditional affiliate playbook—ranging from content partnerships, media integrations, sports‑driven real‑time demand, coupon ecosystem shifts, loyalty dynamics, influencer performance trends, incrementality measurement, BNPL behavioral changes, AI's emerging role in affiliate operations, transparency challenges with subnetworks, and experiments in compensation modeling. It also includes personal touches: international travel, hiking adventures, and the guest's surprising hobby as a certified bourbon steward.

Buy Now, Pay Later is boosting conversions, but quietly destroying margins. Buy Now, Pay Later looks like a conversion cheat code. Higher AOV. More checkouts. Fewer abandoned carts. But beneath the surface, BNPL is quietly bleeding eCommerce businesses dry.In this episode of the High Voltage Business Builders Podcast, Neil breaks down what most sellers are missing. BNPL customers return products more often, cost more to serve, and come with higher transaction fees than credit cards. When payments fail, merchants still eat the fees, the shipping, and the inventory risk.You'll learn why BNPL is not free money, how it impacts margins and cash flow, and what serious operators must track right now to avoid letting a payment method quietly destroy profitability. If BNPL drives a meaningful portion of your conversions, this episode is your wake-up call.

On this episode of Chit Chat Stocks, we speak with first-time guest Marc from Manu Invests on BNPL provider Sezzle. We discuss:(00:00) Introduction(01:57) Understanding Sezzle's Business Model(03:35) The Appeal of Buy Now Pay Later(05:50) Sezzle's Unique Position in the Market(09:24) Sezzle's Business History and Stock Performance(13:00) Keys to Sezzle's Profitability(15:21) Merchant Preferences and Sezzle's Strategy(17:50) The State of the BNPL Industry(21:20) Personal Insights on BNPL vs. Credit Cards(26:34) Understanding Sezzle's Financial Growth(27:01) Sezzle's Financial Performance and Growth Strategy(31:30) Sezzle's Future: Market Positioning and Consumer Trends(36:36) User Experience and App Functionality(38:53) Valuation Insights and Growth Potential(44:18) Risks and Challenges in the BNPL Market(49:54) Misconceptions About Sezzle and BNPLManu Invests: https://manuinvests.substack.com/*****************************************************Sign up for our stock research service, Emerging Moats: emergingmoats.com *********************************************************************Chit Chat Stocks is presented by Interactive Brokers. Get professional pricing, global access, and premier technology with the best brokerage for investors today: https://www.interactivebrokers.com/ Interactive Brokers is a member of SIPC. *********************************************************************Fiscal.ai is building the future of financial data.With custom charts, AI-generated research reports, and endless analytical tools, you can get up to speed on any stock around the globe. All for a reasonable price. Use our LINK and get 15% off any premium plan: ⁠https://fiscal.ai/chitchat *********************************************************************Disclosure: Chit Chat Stocks hosts and guests are not financial advisors, and nothing they say on this show is formal advice or a recommendation.

In This Episode Could up to 80% of existing credit cards be canceled or see credit reductions under the proposed 10% interest rate cap? That's the stark prediction from industry research and leading credit providers like JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon. Instead of helping consumers, the policy could trigger an evaporation of available credit, shrink access, and push borrowers toward less regulated alternatives. In this episode of Breaking Banks, Jason Henrichs connects with leading industry voices Ron Shevlin, Managing Director & Chief Research Officer of Cornerstone Advisors and author of Forbes‘ Fintech Snark Tank, and Rhett Roberts, Co-Founder and CEO of LoanPro. As the trio discuss benefits, tradeoffs, and risks, they recognize that one size doesn’t always fit all, and explore where innovation might fill the gap: buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) models, bespoke lending products, and how stablecoins could be a market-based alternative to blunt the access problem, a way to lower costs without breaking the system. Could “loan-on-card” structures or embedded finance preserve convenience while reshaping risk? If credit migrates outside traditional card networks, are we undermining decades of consumer protection? For anyone shaping the future of banking, fintech, consumer lending and credit, or just trying to better understand the benefits, potential tradeoffs, and risks of interest rate caps and stablecoins as a market-based alternative, this episode is essential listening. Credit has a very long history of teaching us that quick fixes often create new problems.

The financial system has run on basically the same payments rails for the past several decades. But there is new infrastructure being built today that takes advantage of the unique capabilities of stablecoins. In some ways, the future is already here as Visa has processed several billion dollars in transactions that have been settled in stablecoins. But who will build the infrastructure needed for credit when we move to this new system?Today's guest is Rhett Roberts, the CEO and Founder of LoanPro. I last had Rhett on the show back in 2021, and needless to say, a lot has changed since then. Part of Rhett's thesis is that this talk around interest rate caps could actually be a catalyst to hasten a movement away from the traditional credit rails. And his company is already working on the systems and protocols to create a new credit infrastructure that runs on stablecoins.In this podcast you will learn:How LoanPro has evolved over the past five years.Why most fintechs are now moving into credit products.Why both banks and fintechs are using LoanPro to launch new credit products.Why the idea of an interest rate cap on credit cards is resonating today.What would happen if a 10% rate cap went into effect.Why this could be great news for BNPL and the other alternative lending products.Rhett's thesis around stablecoins and the value proposition.The elephant in the room for a stablecoin payments network.How a line of credit backed by stablecoins could work in reality.Where the card networks will sit within this new system.How LoanPro is helping to create these processes and protocols.Where we will be in five years time with this new infrastructure.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

In this episode of QAV Australia, Cameron and Tony brave the Australian heat to discuss a mix of music history and high-stakes value investing. The duo pays tribute to the late Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst, reflecting on his iconic sound and the band's cultural impact. Turning to the markets, they analyze the record-breaking success of hedge fund manager Chris Hohn, whose old-school value approach netted $28 billion in a single year. The episode features a deep dive into the complex takeover saga surrounding Humm Group (HUM), weighing the company's strong commercial leasing profits against its controversial buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) pivot and ongoing governance battles involving founder Andrew Abercrombie and Credit Corp. Finally, they wrap up with portfolio updates showing significant outperformance in both Australian and US dummy portfolios.

Buy Now, Pay Later is exploding, but so is consumer debt. Patrick Bet-David and the panel break down record BNPL spending, missed payments, Gen Z risk, and why these “interest-free” plans can quietly become more dangerous than credit cards for everyday Americans.

Find out  which credit cards shine in 2026 and how to avoid rising fees, APR surprises, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) traps. How can you change your spending to better match your values? How do you choose the right credit card in 2026 as perks shift, fees rise, and “buy now, pay later” spreads? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss values-based spending and the credit card landscape to help you make purchases that fit your priorities. They begin with a discussion of aligning money with values, with tips and tricks on auditing your statements for “idle” spending, shopping around for companies and banks that match your priorities, and building accountability so your goals stick. Then, credit card expert Caitlin Mims joins Elizabeth to discuss credit cards in 2026. They cover buy now, pay later and card-based installment plans, what to watch as card perks and annual fees change, and how NerdWallet chose its Best-of Awards winners. Our Nerds researched 280 credit cards, narrowing down to just one winner per category: https://www.nerdwallet.com/l/awards-credit-cards-2026?utm_source=sm&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=cm_organic_011226_podcast_sm_desc_allepisodes_best-of-credit-cards  Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits  Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card  Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Strong Option for Travel Rewards  Capital One Venture Review: Easy Earnings, Effortless Redemptions  Citi Strata Premier: Big Rewards Across Top Spending Categories  Southwest Priority Card Review: Pay More, Get More  Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card Review: 2% Cash Back With a Bonus  Citi Simplicity Review: 21 Months of 0% to Whittle Down Debt  5 Things to Know About the U.S. Bank Split Credit Card  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, host Travis Chappell and producer Eric dig into one of the most dangerous trends in personal finance right now: exploding consumer debt from credit cards and “buy now, pay later” services—and what it reveals about how people actually spend. Using fresh data on U.S. credit card balances and global BNPL usage, they unpack why financing sneakers and burritos is wrecking budgets and what to do instead if you are serious about building wealth.​ On this episode we talk about: Why total U.S. credit card debt has climbed to roughly $1.33 trillion and what that means for everyday households How global “buy now, pay later” balances have surged to an estimated $560 billion, mostly for low‑ticket, nonessential items The top BNPL categories: clothing/fashion, electronics, furniture, and a fast‑growing share going to groceries How big-box stores and delivery apps now let you finance everyday purchases at checkout Why using debt for shoes, hoodies, and gadgets is fundamentally different from financing an HVAC unit or medical bill The psychological impact of seeing 4,000–10,000 marketing messages per day and how that fuels overspending Why blaming the economy while financing lifestyle purchases is a losing combo Practical alternatives: thrift stores, discount retailers, and simply opting out of nonessential buys Top 3 Takeaways If you have to finance it, you probably cannot afford it. Outside of big essentials like housing, transportation, or critical repairs, using credit or BNPL for clothes, tech, or takeout is a red flag. BNPL is still debt, even if it does not hit your credit report (yet). Spreading $60 here and $120 there across Klarna and Affirm quietly piles up into a bill that kills your ability to build wealth. You cannot out-complain your way to financial freedom. The economy may be tough, but personal discipline—saying no to financed lifestyle purchases and focusing on increasing income—is nonnegotiable. Notable Quotes “If you are financing sneakers and handbags and complaining about your finances, you have no right to be complaining.” “Just because it doesn't show up on your credit report doesn't mean it's free money—you still have to pay it back.” “Our parents were dealt a different hand; this is ours. Complaining about housing prices while running up BNPL on clothes is not a strategy.” ✖️✖️✖️✖️

Adobe Analytics has reported that "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) usage hit an all-time high of $10.1 billion in November 2025, and this "phantom debt" doesn't always show up on credit reports immediately.Today's Stocks & Topics: PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP), Market Wrap, “The Holiday Debt Trap: BNPL "Phantom Debt"”, Primoris Services Corporation (PRIM), Firefly Aerospace Inc. (FLY), Commodities, Netflix, Inc. (NFLX), Entergy Corporation (ETR).Our Sponsors:* Check out Incogni: https://incogni.com/investtalk* Check out Invest529: https://www.invest529.com* Check out NordProtect: https://nordprotect.com/investalk* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/INVEST* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code INVEST for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

The boys are back, and this time Jerome Powell shows up looking like he just stepped off the set of Terminator: Rate Cut Salvation. In this episode, Chris, Saied and Rajeil break down why markets are foaming at the mouth for a policy pivot… while conveniently ignoring every economic signal flashing bright orange. From exploding rate-cut odds to the consumer tapping out like they're on their ninth round of BNPL debt, this one's a full-speed sprint through the chaos the mainstream financial world desperately pretends isn't happening.➡️ Then we take a hard turn into the AI privacy nightmare no one seems ready for, and the kind of tech overreach that makes Skynet look spiritually grounded. You'll hear why the job market looks strong on the surface but hollow underneath, how corporate America keeps skating by on vibes, and why the average investor is still totally unprepared for what's coming. It's sharp, it's funny, it's troubling... in other words, it's The Higher Standard in peak form.

977. Laura answers a listener's question about whether to use a BNPL option or a credit card when shopping online.Find a transcript here. Have a money question? Send an email to money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at (302) 364-0308.Find Money Girl on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the newsletter for more personal finance tips.Money Girl is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/money-girl-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/MoneyGirlQDT Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.