Generalizability of BNPL use as a credit-risk signal

Determine whether the finding that BNPL use is a positive signal of creditworthiness in Norwegian data translates to the United States.

Background

The paper discusses whether BNPL use contains useful information about credit risk. Although one study using Norwegian data finds that BNPL use positively signals creditworthiness, the authors state that it is unknown whether this result applies in the U.S. credit-reporting and lending environment. Resolving this question would inform the design and consequences of incorporating BNPL information into U.S. credit scores and underwriting.

References

The only academic study of this is Laudenbach et al. (2025), who find that BNPL use is a positive signal of creditworthiness in their Norwegian data. We do not know if this finding translates to the United States.

— Buy Now, Pay Later: Academic Insights and Open Policy Questions  (2609.09323 - Guttman-Kenney et al., 8 Sep 2026) in Section VII, “BNPL Credit Reporting”