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‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Arrangements in the European Union Regulatory Developments and Consumer Protection

Vale, Annie LU and Munk, Brita LU (2026) HARN63 20261
Department of Business Law
Abstract
This thesis examines the regulatory framework governing Buy Now, Pay Later
arrangements within the European Union, with a particular focus on consumer
protection. Buy Now, Pay Later has rapidly emerged as a popular payment method
in digital commerce, especially following the growth of online shopping during and
after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the service provides consumers with
accessible short-term credit and increased purchasing flexibility, it has also raised
concerns regarding over-indebtedness, insufficient creditworthiness assessments,
and a lack of transparency in contractual terms.
This thesis analyses how Buy Now, Pay Later arrangements are currently regulated
under the Consumer Credit Directive and how the... (More)
This thesis examines the regulatory framework governing Buy Now, Pay Later
arrangements within the European Union, with a particular focus on consumer
protection. Buy Now, Pay Later has rapidly emerged as a popular payment method
in digital commerce, especially following the growth of online shopping during and
after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the service provides consumers with
accessible short-term credit and increased purchasing flexibility, it has also raised
concerns regarding over-indebtedness, insufficient creditworthiness assessments,
and a lack of transparency in contractual terms.
This thesis analyses how Buy Now, Pay Later arrangements are currently regulated
under the Consumer Credit Directive and how the revised Consumer Credit Directive
II expands the scope of the EU consumer credit framework to include Buy Now, Pay
Later products that were previously excluded from regulation. It further evaluates
the relevance of the broader EU consumer protection framework for Buy Now, Pay
Later arrangements, particularly the Unfair Contract Terms Directive and the Unfair
Commercial Practices Directive.
Using the legal dogmatic method, the thesis interprets EU legislation, preparatory
works, academic literature, and case law from the Court of Justice of the European
Union to assess whether the current and upcoming legal framework adequately
protects consumers.
The thesis concludes that the Consumer Credit Directive II significantly strengthens
consumer protection by extending regulatory obligations to Buy Now, Pay Later
providers and increasing transparency and creditworthiness assessments. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Vale, Annie LU and Munk, Brita LU
supervisor
organization
course
HARN63 20261
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Consumer protection, principle of responsible lending, consumer credit, informed decision-making, creditworthiness assessment and buy now, pay later
language
English
id
9229966
date added to LUP
2026-06-04 12:24:20
date last changed
2026-06-04 12:24:20
@misc{9229966,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines the regulatory framework governing Buy Now, Pay Later 
arrangements within the European Union, with a particular focus on consumer 
protection. Buy Now, Pay Later has rapidly emerged as a popular payment method 
in digital commerce, especially following the growth of online shopping during and 
after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the service provides consumers with 
accessible short-term credit and increased purchasing flexibility, it has also raised 
concerns regarding over-indebtedness, insufficient creditworthiness assessments, 
and a lack of transparency in contractual terms. 
This thesis analyses how Buy Now, Pay Later arrangements are currently regulated 
under the Consumer Credit Directive and how the revised Consumer Credit Directive 
II expands the scope of the EU consumer credit framework to include Buy Now, Pay 
Later products that were previously excluded from regulation. It further evaluates 
the relevance of the broader EU consumer protection framework for Buy Now, Pay 
Later arrangements, particularly the Unfair Contract Terms Directive and the Unfair 
Commercial Practices Directive. 
Using the legal dogmatic method, the thesis interprets EU legislation, preparatory 
works, academic literature, and case law from the Court of Justice of the European 
Union to assess whether the current and upcoming legal framework adequately 
protects consumers. 
The thesis concludes that the Consumer Credit Directive II significantly strengthens 
consumer protection by extending regulatory obligations to Buy Now, Pay Later 
providers and increasing transparency and creditworthiness assessments.}},
  author       = {{Vale, Annie and Munk, Brita}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Arrangements in the European Union Regulatory Developments and Consumer Protection}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}