Buy now, pay whenever? Lockdown lift for online shopping loans in first-world countries

Klarna, Europe’s biggest fintech startup, said that since March enquiries from retailers who may want to partner with it jumped by 20% on average globally. — Reuters

Browsing online during lockdown, Jessica Friend spotted a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses she liked, but the price tag made the 30-year-old Ohio resident think twice.

What persuaded her to click ‘buy’, Friend said, was the short-term credit offered by Afterpay, which split the US$260 (RM1,114) payment into four interest-free instalments.