November
RBA could backtrack on plan to ban credit card surcharges
Minutes from the Payments System Board meeting show the central bank is also considering steps to appease the big banks’ concerns about interchange fees
October
M&A due diligence of more than 120 days borders on ridiculous
A war of words has erupted in the drawn-out founder-led bid for Humm and some shareholders have had enough. The board committee can’t keep dragging its heels.
How Americans living pay-to-pay powered Zip’s stunning 6-month surge
The former market darling has roared back into the hot-stock club with a 287 per cent climb in eight months.
September
Trump ally assassinated; Bell exits ANU; Oracle’s wake-up call
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Klarna’s big stock debut shows BNPL is over its existential crisis
For Afterpay co-founder and sector pioneer Nick Molnar, the IPO is a strong endorsement of his wildly popular pay-in-four model.
CBA bound by lock-up period as Klarna IPO targets $21.5b valuation
The bank joins investors including Sequoia Capital, BlackRock and Silver Lake in reducing their holdings as part of the listing in New York.
CBA’s Afterpay FOMO paid off with Klarna. Just not how you think
Matt Comyn’s investment in the company was a way of playing defence and offence as buy now, pay later exploded. Six years on, the strategy looks strong.
CBA’s Klarna stake balloons to $1.2b on buy now, pay later firm’s IPO
The initial public offering was launched on Tuesday night, valuing the digital banking group in which the bank has a significant stake, at up to $21.5 billion.
August
Board ructions plague Humm as financial results postponed again
The asset finance and buy now, pay later group’s chairman Andrew Abercrombie, who is also leading a bid for the company, is refusing to sign off the accounts.
Zip targets Nasdaq listing to unlock US buy now, pay later growth
A presence on the technology-heavy Nasdaq would support a “significant growth opportunity” by broadening the investor base, the credit provider said.
Afterpay carries Block earnings as AI deployed to Square terminals
Higher spending on Afterpay helped Jack Dorsey’s payments giant deliver record operating income for the second quarter.
July
Sezzle sizzles at $7b: The unlikely comeback king of buy now, pay later
Charlie Youakim was always an underdog in the hottest new sector in finance. But after a multitude of near-death experiences, he’s now the top dog.
Why this points junkie swapped credit cards for BNPL
Katrina Konstas, Afterpay’s country manager for Australia, is a self-declared shopper but has changed the way she pays.
June
Chairman lobs $286m indicative bid for Humm Group
The group has offered to buy Humm for 48¢ per share – a 35 per cent premium to Monday’s share price close.
Why Afterpay could be coming to a supermarket checkout near you
Eight years after the first calls to bring BNPL under credit laws, Nick Molnar says the new regime will help it compete more aggressively with credit cards.
April
CBA and Westpac mull removing numbers from their credit cards
Australia is expected to be the first major market to embrace numberless credit cards in the next two years, according to Mastercard.
February
The Zip v Afterpay buy now, pay later rivalry is back on
Zip says it is growing faster than its competitors in the world’s biggest market – the United States – after reporting record first-half earnings.
December 2024
Short seller accuses Sezzle of ‘sketchy’ practices, low-quality loans
The buy now, pay later group delisted from the ASX earlier this year and has described the allegations as “misleading and out of context”.
Metrics moves to compulsorily acquire BNPL underdog despite objections
Shareholders have accused Metrics of “grossly underestimating” the company’s valuation, “systematically devaluing the company through sham capital raises”, “selective disclosure” and “predatory behaviour”.
Zip co-founder Larry Diamond sells $100m in shares after resigning
The co-founder sold 30 million shares in the buy now, pay later player, a day after he resigned to set up a family office.