Buy-now-pay-later rules in the UK will change in 2026, but will they offer protection or exclusion?

By Adeola Y. Oyebowale, Assistant Professor in Banking, University of Doha for Science and Technology
Amr Saber Algarhi, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Sheffield Hallam University

Buy-now-pay-later is an appealing proposition. You get what you want now, but you delay settling the bill until later, with no interest and no fees.

It’s how lots of things are bought. The UK’s buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) sector has nearly 23 million users and was worth £28 billion in 2025.

In 2026 though, it will face a major transformation. From mid-July, its lenders – the likes of Klarna and PayPal – will be regulated in the UK for the first time by the Financial…

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