Buy now, pay later like a debit card: new Nibud study confirms what we already saw
More than half of young adults between 18 and 27 years old consider Buy Now Pay Later not as a loan, but as a regular payment method. This is according to a recent study by Nibud. For us at Ultimoo, this comes as no surprise. These findings confirm the trend we already described at Ultimoo last month: the normalization of deferred payments calls for a critical look.
In March, CEO Arjan Stigter wrote about our decision to refuse certain BNPL claims as long as the duty of care of providers is not demonstrably guaranteed. The new Nibud study provides the statistical foundation for exactly this concern.
What the Nibud study shows
Nibud surveyed young adults aged 18 to 27 about their use of buy now, pay later services such as Klarna and Riverty. The outcome is telling: those who use BNPL do not consider it a debt. It is seen as a payment method, just like a debit card or cash. People who do not use BNPL do view it as a loan.
Main points from the study:
- More than 50% of young adults view BNPL as a payment method and not as a loan.
- Approx. 25% of BNPL users sometimes pay late.
- 13% of underage students use BNPL, despite the age restriction.
Buy Now Pay Later is a given. But it is and remains a loan and should be treated as such. - Mattias Gijsbertsen, director of Nibud
Users of BNPL are more often overdrawn, more frequently have a credit card, and buy on installment more often. They keep slightly better track of their administration because the payment terms force them to do so. But that does not prevent debts from piling up here as well. This is exactly the blind spot that Arjan Stigter warned about in March: providers do not see what a consumer owes competitors, and usually, the consumer does not either.
The duty of care is still lacking
In our previous blog, we described how the BNPL model sometimes seems designed for mistakes. The system flourishes with consumers who lose their overview and incur more debt. The Nibud study shows that this is not just a theory. It is the daily reality of more than half of young BNPL users.
The core of the problem:
Young people associate BNPL with convenience, not with obligation. As long as providers do not carry out a proper credit check and debts are not centrally registered, accumulation remains structurally possible. Subsequently, debt collection agencies are asked to repair the damage of an irresponsible preliminary phase, with all the consequences that entails.
Regulation is on the way, but we are not there yet
There is good news on the way. In November 2026, stricter rules will come into effect for providers of buy now, pay later services: mandatory age verification and possibly an income check. From that moment on, providers will also fall under the supervision of the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. This ties in with the implementation of the European Consumer Credit Directive II, which we at Ultimoo have been urging for some time.
Until then, young people and the companies that supply them are in a vulnerable interim period.
What does this mean for you as an entrepreneur?
Do you supply to young adults, or do you offer a buy now, pay later option yourself? Then this research by NIBUD is a direct signal. The customer ordering today may already have multiple outstanding BNPL obligations with other providers, without you or them knowing it.
Good credit management therefore starts before an invoice remains unpaid:
- Communicate payment terms clearly and repeat them with every transaction.
- Follow up on payment arrears quickly, preferably within fourteen days.
- Engage an amicable debt collection partner in a timely manner as soon as a reminder has no effect.
- Check whether your own payment process complies with the upcoming duty of care rules.
The earlier a collection process is initiated, the greater the chance of successful collection. Waiting increases the risk that the debtor will have multiple creditors by then, putting your claim at the back of the line.
