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Affirm's 0% APR Loans Play: Smart Growth Driver or Profitability Risk?
ZACKSยท 2025-09-03 17:35
Core Insights - Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM) is enhancing its 0% annual percentage rate (APR) monthly installment loan offerings to increase consumer spending and expand its presence in the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market, positioning itself as a consumer-friendly alternative to traditional credit cards [1][8] Company Strategy - The company aims to convert first-time users into loyal customers by emphasizing affordability and value, which simplifies the checkout process for larger purchases [2] - Affirm earns fees from merchants for facilitating sales, particularly benefiting from higher fees associated with 0% APR financing products [2] Performance Metrics - In Q4 FY25, the gross merchandise volume (GMV) from 0% APR monthly installment loans increased by 93% year over year [3] - The visibility and accessibility of 0% APR offers on the Affirm Card led to a more than tripling of 0% APR GMV on the card compared to the previous year [3] - Spending in stores using the Affirm Card surged by 187% year over year in the same quarter, indicating strong consumer demand for interest-free installment options [3] Competitive Landscape - Competitors in the BNPL space include PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) and Sezzle Inc. (SEZL), with PayPal reporting 438 million active accounts and a 5% year-over-year increase in net revenues in Q2 2025 [5] - Sezzle's GMV grew by 74.2% year over year in Q2 2025, with total transactions rising by 62.6% to 8.2 million and a repeat usage rate of 96.4% [6] Financial Overview - Year-to-date, AFRM's shares have increased by 35%, outperforming the industry average rise of 19.5% [7] - The forward price-to-sales ratio for AFRM is 6.52, above the industry average of 5.68, and it carries a Value Score of F [9] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Affirm's fiscal 2026 earnings suggests a 400% growth from the previous year, with a revenue growth estimate of 19.6% year over year [10]