Our latest payments podcast looks at what regulation would mean for BNPL

In many ways, buy-now, pay-later is the classic fintech story.

Technology creating a multi-billion-dollar industry out of nothing, tapping into consumer demand no one knew existed, and riding the wave of digital payments as shopping has moved online.

And then the backlash. Concerns about the potential for consumer harm, worries that individuals do not understand the product, and calls for the law to change to make sure that the providers are subject to the scrutiny of financial supervisors.

For its part, the UK will regulate buy-now, pay-later, as confirmed by a recent Treasury paper. In our latest monthly payments podcast we talk about what this will mean in practice and in particular what providers of BNPL might have to do in the future to fall into line with the UK’s consumer credit regime.

Regulation won’t be the end of the story, but it would mark a new chapter.