Buy now, pay later providers set for £3bn hit in ‘regulatory reset’ Regulation Providers of buy now, pay later services are set to feel the crunch as the UK’s financial watchdog tightens its regulatory focus on the fast-growing industry. Merchants and lenders are set to take a combined hit of as much as £3bn following the regulation overhaul by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), according to its own [...]
Banks to pay ombudsman more as Treasury crackdown costs £8m Banking Banks will pay more to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the next year as the body strums up cash for its bill to meet the Treasury’s clampdown. Financial services will pay the FOS £86m in the 2026/27 financial year – an increase of £16m – under new proposals, which aim to beef up the Compulsory [...]
Klarna could trigger a fintech IPO boom but can London benefit? Fintech Klarna’s hot debut on the New York Stock Exchange has opened the doors for a flood of fintech listings but analysts are raising concerns whether the London market can enjoy this new stream. The Swedish fintech unicorn’s stock popped 15 per cent from its IPO price of $40. Shares closed at $45.82 after raising $222m. [...]
Zilch hikes provisions amid ‘record year’ for customer growth August 13, 2025 UK fintech Zilch raised its provisions for losses in the last year as demand for buy now, pay later services ballooned. The London-headquartered firm raised provisions for credit losses – funds set aside to cover estimated losses from failed repayments – to £27.4m – a 116 per cent jump from £12.7m the year prior. Credit [...]
Klarna receives regulatory approval to take on Monzo and Revolut July 30, 2025 Swedish fintech Klarna has received an electronic money institution licence from the Financial Conduct Authority, setting the firm up to compete with UK firms Monzo and Revolut. The licence will allow Klarna to offer its 11 million UK customers savings accounts and also pave the way for a debit card launch. Abby Vickers, Klarna’s head [...]
FCA boss: Buy now, pay later regulation is a trade off June 10, 2025 The chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the new clamp down on buy now, pay later (BNPL) regulation would be a “trade off” as he faced a grilling from MPs. Nikhil Rathi, who was reappointed as the regulator’s boss in April, told the Treasury Committee the crackdown would have “beneficiaries and downside [...]
Has Klarna’s buy now, pay later bubble burst? June 6, 2025 Buy now, pay later services have exploded in the last decade and industry titan Klarna has spearheaded growth. The global BNPL market is expected to top $560.1bn (£412.8bn) in 2025 with 13.7 per cent annual growth. Swedish fintech Klarna has historically dominated the space, notching a net operating income of $1.087bn in 2020. The firm [...]
Paragon Bank: Stamp duty boost offsets motor finance provision June 4, 2025 Specialist lender Paragon Banking Group bolstered its profit in the first half of the financial year as increased lending managed to offshore a motor finance provision. The FTSE 250 bank’s pre-tax profit surged 26.7 per cent to £149.4m, up from £146.4 in the first half of 2024. This was driven by 4.9 per cent expansion [...]
Klarna and Zilch shrug off buy now, pay later crackdown with card launch June 3, 2025 Klarna and Zilch have shrugged off a government crackdown on by buy now pay later payments after launching landmark partnerships with payments giant Visa to introduce physical cards. Commerce network Klarna has begun piloting “Klarna Card” which aims to offer consumers greater spending flexibility without the pitfalls of traditional credit cards. The card will use [...]
What will stricter buy now pay later regulations mean for Klarna? May 20, 2025 The government is clamping down on the “wild west” of buy now, pay later (BNPL) but this could spark trouble for industry veterans in a competitive sector. The Treasury is set to bring BNPL providers under the supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority, meaning they will have to adhere to the stricter frameworks of the [...]