What Is Buy Now, Pay Later?

Buy Now, Pay Later allows customers to make a purchase and spread the cost over a series of interest-free or low-interest payments. Unlike traditional credit cards, which offer revolving credit, BNPL breaks the payment into fixed instalments, usually biweekly or monthly, until the full amount is paid off.

BNPL is typically offered at checkout (online or in-store), where consumers are given an option to defer payments with instant approval, minimal friction, and often no credit checks. For users, it’s a way to manage budgets without incurring the high interest rates associated with credit cards. For merchants, it’s a tool to increase conversions, reduce cart abandonment, and boost average order value.

Market Size and Opportunity

The BNPL market has seen explosive growth in recent years, and it’s just getting started. As reported by Research and Markets, the global Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 13.7%, reaching US$560.1 billion in 2025. By 2030, the BNPL sector is projected to expand from its 2024 value of US$492.8 billion to approximately US$911.8 billion.

While developed markets are driving much of the growth, emerging economies with large underbanked populations and growing mobile adoption also offer significant potential for BNPL expansion.

Why Is BNPL Growing So Fast?

Several factors are driving the rapid growth of BNPL:

• Changing Consumer Expectations: Shoppers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, prefer flexible and transparent payment methods. BNPL appeals to their desire to avoid debt while still accessing the products they want.
  
• E-commerce Boom: The shift to online shopping has made seamless, digital-first payment options like BNPL more relevant than ever.
  
• Decline in Credit Card Use: Younger consumers are increasingly avoiding traditional credit products, paving the way for alternative solutions.
  
• Merchant Demand: Retailers view BNPL as a revenue enhancer, leading to widespread adoption across sectors like fashion, electronics, travel, and home goods.

Key Trends Shaping the BNPL Industry

As the sector matures, several key trends are shaping the future of BNPL:

Increased Regulatory Oversight

Planned regulations aim to improve clarity around instalment terms, require clear disclosure of any fees, and introduce protections to reduce the risk of consumers overextending themselves financially. These steps are intended to support responsible lending while allowing room for innovation in the BNPL sector.

Diversification Across Sectors

Once primarily used in retail, flexible payment solutions are now gaining traction in sectors such as healthcare, education, automotive services, and utilities. Companies across a range of industries are adopting BNPL to enhance affordability and reach a broader customer base.

Embedded Finance and Partnerships

BNPL is becoming part of broader financial ecosystems. It’s being embedded into digital wallets, banking apps, and point-of-sale systems, often through partnerships with financial institutions and platforms.

Focus on Financial Wellness

Some BNPL providers are pivoting toward responsible lending and financial education. Features like spending limits, payment reminders, and credit reporting are being added to improve long-term sustainability and consumer trust.

Integration with Loyalty and Rewards Programs

To encourage repeat purchases and customer loyalty, many providers now offer perks such as loyalty points, cashback, and special deals. These features make the service more attractive and help build stronger relationships between users and the brands they shop with.

White-Label BNPL Solutions

Businesses are increasingly turning to white-label BNPL solutions to offer instalment payments under their own brand. This approach allows them to maintain control over the customer journey while using the technology and infrastructure of a third-party provider.

Expansion into B2B and SME Financing

BNPL is making inroads into the business-to-business (B2B) space, offering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) flexible payment terms for software, supplies, and services. This helps businesses manage cash flow while providers unlock a new customer segment.

From our analysis of 130 Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) companies, we have identified key trends in naming and domain name usage.

Domain Names Highlights 

Out of 130 Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) companies analysed, 103 use .com domains. The .com extension has been the preferred choice on the internet for decades, naturally building customer trust.

93 out of 130 companies on our list use Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain names. EBM domain is a natural choice for most internet users when searching for a company online, offering brand consistency and a stronger online presence.

Only 1 company on our list uses a dash in its domain name. Using hyphens is generally discouraged, as it makes domains harder for users to remember and type accurately. 

Naming Trends in Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Companies

Descriptive and Direct Names

Many BNPL companies opt for names that directly reflect their function, using words like “pay,” “later,” and “credit.” 

Examples: BNPL Pay, Fly Now Pay Later, Payment Assist, Pay It Later, ePayLater, PayJustNow, Payl8r, PayRight, Homecredit, FuturePay, Paysafe

Dictionary Words as Brand Names

Using dictionary words as brand names is a growing trend. These names are memorable, widely recognisable, and offer great flexibility for branding and marketing across different markets.

Examples: Affirm, Resolve, Amount, Upgrade, Partial, FuturePay, Curve, Stripe, Paysafe.

Short Names

Short names are quick to remember, easy to search, and simple to type.

Examples: Ally, Alma, Nate, Nelo, Oney, Pace, Four, Beez, Valu, Viza, Zip, Zood, Zopa.

Personal Names as Brand Names

Using personal names as brand names helps create a more friendly, relatable, and trustworthy image. These names build a sense of connection and make the brand feel more human and approachable.

Examples: Ally, Alma, Addi, Tamara, Nelo, Nate, Mollie, Billie.

Namepicks

Affirm

Affirm is a leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) company that offers consumers flexible, transparent financing options at the point of sale. Founded in 2012 by Max Levchin (a co-founder of PayPal), Affirm set out to reinvent the credit system by eliminating hidden fees, confusing terms, and revolving debt often associated with traditional credit cards.

Affirm allows shoppers to split purchases into biweekly or monthly payments, with clear terms and no late fees or compounding interest. The company partners with thousands of merchants across industries like fashion, electronics, travel, and home goods, offering seamless integration at checkout both online and in-store.

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We started Affirm because credit cards aren’t working. They lure us in with perks, but end up costing a lot: The average U.S. household has $6,000 in credit card debt. With Affirm, you’ll never owe more than you agree to up front. Instead, you’ll always get a flexible, transparent, and convenient way to pay over time.

Affirm

The company owns its Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain name, Affirm.com. One-word .com domains are powerful branding assets – they’re easy to say, spell, and remember, which makes marketing more effective. A strong domain like Affirm.com builds trust, improves visibility, and makes it easier for customers to find and engage with the brand online.

Afterpay

Afterpay is one of the most well-known Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) companies, offering a simple way for consumers to shop and pay over time. Founded in Australia in 2014, Afterpay allows customers to split purchases into four interest-free instalments over 6 weeks. This model has become widely popular among younger shoppers looking for more flexible and transparent alternatives to traditional credit.

In 2021, Afterpay was acquired by Block, Inc. (formerly Square) for $29 billion, further integrating its services with the broader digital payments ecosystem.

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We’re excited to welcome the Afterpay team to Block and are eager to get to work. Together, we’ll deliver even better products and services for sellers and consumers while staying true to our shared purpose of making the financial system more fair and accessible to everyone.

Jack Dorsey, Block co-founder and CEO

The company operates under the EBM domain Afterpay.com, an intuitive choice for users searching for the company online, boosting visibility and protecting its brand identity.

Klarna

Klarna is a Swedish fintech company that offers consumers flexible payment solutions, including Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services. Founded in 2005 in Stockholm by Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Niklas Adalberth, and Victor Jacobsson, the company initially operated under the name Kreditor. In 2010, it rebranded to Klarna, a name derived from the Swedish word meaning “to clear up” or “to clarify,” to reflect its broader financial offerings and global ambitions.

Klarna’s services allow shoppers to split purchases into interest-free instalments, pay after delivery, or pay the full amount at checkout. The company has expanded its offerings to include a shopping app that helps users track spending, find deals, and manage returns. In some markets, Klarna also provides banking services such as savings accounts and debit cards. The company partners with over 675,000 merchants, including major retailers like H&M, Sephora, and Nike.

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Today, one thing that is becoming increasingly evident is that people find it harder to solve their daily time equation. They are tired of unnecessary friction, complexity and boredom. Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to administering their purchases and finances – and therefore our mission now is to liberate people from all the meaningless time spent managing their purchases and finances, so they can do more of what they love.

Klarna co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski in an interview for EU-Startups

The company ensures global accessibility with its website, which can be found at the EBM domain Klarna.com.

Paidy

Paidy is a leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service in Japan, offering consumers the ability to make purchases online and pay later without the need for a credit card. Users can consolidate their purchases into a single monthly bill, which can be paid via bank transfer, convenience store payment, or auto-debit. The company employs proprietary models and machine learning to underwrite transactions in seconds, providing instant credit decisions and guaranteeing payments to merchants.

Founded in 2008 as Exchange Corporation Co., Ltd., the company launched the Paidy service in 2014 and has since become a pioneer in Japan’s BNPL market. In October 2021, Paidy was acquired by PayPal for approximately $2.7 billion, enhancing PayPal’s presence in the Japanese market.

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Paidy pioneered buy now, pay later solutions tailored to the Japanese market and quickly grew to become the leading service, developing a sizable two-sided platform of consumers and merchants. Combining Paidy’s brand, capabilities and talented team with PayPal’s expertise, resources and global scale will create a strong foundation to accelerate our momentum in this strategically important market.

Peter Kenevan, vice president, head of Japan at PayPal

Paidy operates under its EBM domain, Paidy.com, ensuring brand authority, credibility, and ease of access. 

Tamara

Tamara is the leading fintech platform to shop, pay, and bank in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region, and Saudi’s first fintech unicorn. The platform allows users to shop with leading brands and choose between splitting payments over time or paying in full at checkout. 

Tamara serves millions of users in KSA, UAE, and Kuwait, and partners with leading global and regional brands such as SHEIN, Jarir, noon, IKEA, eXtra, and Farfetch, as well as thousands of SMEs. 

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Our mission is to deliver an exceptional experience to our customers by offering transparent, seamless and inclusive payment solutions.

Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Tamara’s Co-founder and CEO

Tamara is a personal name meaning “date palm” or “date,” symbolising strength, beauty, and fruitfulness. Using personal names as brand names helps build trust and create a more personal connection with customers. This branding approach, highlighted in our recent report, has proven effective for many businesses over the years.

While Tamara operates on a .co domain extension, it also owns Tamara.com. Owning this domain ensures brand protection and a strong online presence, making it easier for customers to find and trust the company.

While we make every effort to ensure the data on our site is accurate, complete, and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its reliability. Our data is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other advice. We strongly recommend that you independently verify any information before relying on it.

The right domain name is an important consideration when it comes to building and protecting your brand. If you’re ready to take the next step and invest in a perfect domain name for your business, contact us to learn more about our available options and how we can help you get started.

Other resources

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