BNPL providers are in the eye of a perfect storm, as investor and regulatory scrutiny, increasing competition, and the prospect of recession put them at risk. But it’s still early days—and we see foresee a long growth runway. Read on to learn how retailers and providers can navigate the current landscape to their maximum benefit.

The solution lets customers store their loyalty cards in the Klarna app, which may help encourage use.

Klarna is the most popular buy now, pay later (BNPL) service in the US, with 34.8 million users ages 14 and older. Afterpay takes the No. 2 spot with 20.0 million, and Affirm comes in third with 14.0 million.

They’re looking for work-life flexibility and better pay. But economic skittishness, dried up funding, and crypto instability point to a rocky future.

Super apps in Asia, such as WeChat, Alipay, and mobile messaging app Line, have dominated ecommerce and online services in the region for years. Now, some Western apps are trying to build their own super apps by creating marketplaces next to their core financial, social, or delivery services. Most of these apps use a combination of monetization methods, including commissions and ad serving.

These deals could help both firms sustain business as recession fears, higher competition, and looming BNPL regulation threaten growth.

On today's episode, we discuss whether connected TV (CTV) ads are living up to the hype, what to make of the Twitter deal being put on hold, what Facebook's retirement plan may be, where Big Tech goes from here, the impact of Klarna's new "Virtual Shopping" service, an unpopular opinion about market cap, some stats about American travelers, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of forecasting Oscar Orozco and analysts Paul Verna and Blake Droesch.

The new offering connects online shoppers with in-store retail associates and can help attract merchants to Klarna.

The super app model is moving to the West and will upend how consumers interact with financial services. Banks must start preparing now to make the changing tide work to their advantage.

As buy now, pay later becomes a common consumer practice, Klarna has its sights set on expanding its services beyond online commerce. Hear from Klarna’s CMO about how its payment platform has turned into a growth partner for merchants and retailers.

Hear how Amazon is changing how we think about payments. For "In Other News," we discuss Visa and Mastercard suspending their services in Russia and what Klarna's losses mean for the company. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst David Morris.

Insider Intelligence spoke with David Sykes, head of Klarna’s North America division.

Despite losses surging more than 300%, Klarna’s gross merchandise volume grew 42% YoY, and it hit 147 million active consumers.

BNPL providers should prepare now for potential regulatory changes affecting credit reporting, customer creditworthiness, late fees, and more.

The provider brought its rewards program to nine markets to help entice spending and expanded Pay Now’s availability, which gives customers more flexibility.

Payments Ecosystem: This year will reveal how providers must adapt to lasting pandemic-driven digitization across payments channels, ranging from in-store retail to B2B ecommerce.

Payments Ecosystem: Diminishing analog payment use—as well as the battle for share between entrenched electronic payment methods and emerging challengers—will intensify the battle for customer spending this year.

Smaller banks are cool toward BNPL: A survey finds that most have scant to zero interest in entering buy now, pay later (BNPL). Those that expressed interest want to partner instead of going solo.

A PYMNTS survey shows that most users of standalone BNPL services are interested in bank-backed versions—including customers of the biggest standalone players.

Increasing competition in the realm of point-of-sale installment plans will push existing buy now, pay later firms to diversify their offerings and target consumers beyond the existing core of Gen Z and millennial users.