Payments company PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) has announced that it will purchase Japanese buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Paidy a cash consideration of $2.7 billion. This acquisition is a significant step by the company to take the top position in the digital payments sector that is burgeoning as a result of the pandemic.
PayPal competing with Square in the BNPL race
Notably, PayPal’s deal comes at the back of competition Square Inc.’s (NYSE: SQ) agreement in August to acquire Australian buy now, pay later firm Afterpay for $29 billion. According to industry experts, this is possibly the start of consolidation in the industry. The buy now, pay later business model was successful at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, fuelled by upended customer credit markets and government stimulus checks.
These alternative credit companies generate revenue by charging retailers a fee to provide small point-of-sale loans that customers return in interest-free installments without having to go through a credit check. Apple and Goldman Sachs are the most recent heavyweights to be rumored to be working on a version of the service.
Last year, PayPal, a leader in the BNPL industry, expanded into Australia, upping the ante for smaller companies like Zip Co and Sezzle, whose stocks were down in noon trade on Wednesday.
Acquisition to expand PayPal’s capabilities
PayPal said in a statement:
“The acquisition will expand PayPal’s capabilities, distribution and relevance in the domestic payments market in Japan, the third largest ecommerce market in the world, complementing the company’s existing cross-border ecommerce business in the country.”
