At Afterpay, we're committed to ensuring our customers can purchase with confidence and and spend responsibly, whilst complying with our legal obligations.
The Australian Government has announced a new regulatory framework for the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) sector, including Afterpay. These regulations came into effect on June 10, 2025.
Afterpay has long supported establishing regulations for the BNPL sector that protect consumers and support businesses. The new regulations are an acknowledgement by the government that BNPL products like Afterpay are distinctly different from traditional credit cards and require a tailored regulatory framework.
What is changing for Afterpay customers?
From June 10 2025, the Australian BNPL regulations require Afterpay to conduct an assessment during sign up and for certain spend limit increases, which includes the completion of credit checks.
What does this mean for your customers when they choose to pay with Afterpay?
- Existing Afterpay users: There will be no change to the way customers check out with Afterpay on your website or in your store.
- New to Afterpay users: When customers apply to use Afterpay for the first time, they will need to provide some simple information about their financial situation and we will conduct a credit check to review some information contained within their credit report.
What should I do if my customers want more information?
If you get enquiries from customers who are seeking information about Afterpay’s assessment process, including the completion of credit checks or if they have any concerns, please direct them to our Customer Help Centre or they can get in touch with us via the Help section in the Afterpay app.
Is there anything I need to update as a merchant?
Yes. As part of the new regulations, we have updated our Merchant Marketing and Advertising Guidelines.
This means that you need to update marketing materials that reference Afterpay (including disclaimers) so that they adhere to the new Merchant Marketing and Advertising Guidelines. Any marketing material that does not comply with the new Guidelines from 10 June 2025 will be deemed unauthorised for use.
There are four areas you need to consider and review, to ensure that you are complying with Afterpay’s latest Merchant Marketing and Advertising Guidelines:
- Visual merchandising: If you use Afterpay’s in-store or digital screens, you may need to update them.
- Product price breakdown messaging: If your site includes Afterpay’s price breakdown with a pop-up lightbox, this will need to be replaced.
- ‘About Afterpay’ page: If you have an Afterpay explainer page, please review the copy and update as needed.
- Digital marketing assets: Make sure you're using the latest approved Afterpay materials in any campaigns or customer comms.
To make this process as easy as possible, we’ve put together a guide to help you review and update any Afterpay assets you are using, including visual merchandising, marketing collateral and more.