The Zip v Afterpay buy now, pay later rivalry is back on

James EyersSenior Reporter

Updated Feb 25, 2025 – 3.52pm, first published at 2.03pm

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Already a subscriber?

Buy now, pay later provider Zip claims it is growing faster than competitors in the world’s biggest market, including Block’s Cash App, Affirm and Klarna, after reporting record first-half earnings.

Zip shares surged 15 per cent to $2.74 after the consumer finance and payments fintech said cash earnings more than doubled over the six months to December 31.

James Eyers writes on banking, payments and fintech. He is a former legal and investment banking editor at the AFR, has degrees in commerce and law from UNSW, and is co-author of Buy now, pay later: The extraordinary story of Afterpay