Written answers
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Department of Finance
Departmental Data
Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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486. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount and number of buy now pay later transactions in Ireland, by year, from 2023 to date in 2025,; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58877/25]
Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Central Bank of Ireland that it does not publish statistics related to the amount and number of buy now pay later (BNPL) transactions.
Since 16 May 2022, BNPL providers must be authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and are subject to the Consumer Protection Code. The revised Code, which takes effect on 24 March 2026, builds on the protections of the existing Code and it will apply in full to the provision of BNPL agreements ensuring that customers of these credit providers are afforded the same protections as customers of other credit providers
Further information on BNPL is available on the Short Term Credit Section of the Central Bank of Ireland’s website, www.centralbank.ie/consumer-hub/short-term-credit.
Recent Central Bank of Ireland publications, “Buy now, Spend More, Pay Later, Behavioural Mechanisms of Buy Now Pay Later Products” and “Who Clicks ‘Pay Later’ Financial Vulnerability and Buy Now Pay Later Usage” contain research on the usage of patterns of BNPL in Ireland.
These can be accessed online at www.centralbank.ie/docs/default-source/publications/research-technical-papers/rtp-15-2025-behavioural-mechanisms-of-bnpl.pdfsfvrsn=9b816e1a_8 and www.centralbank.ie/publication/research-publications/staff-insights/who-clicks-pay-later---financial-vulnerability-and-buy-now-pay-later-usage#content6 respectively.
My Department monitors developments in this sector on an ongoing basis. Directive (EU) 2023/2225 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 on credit agreements for consumers, which will come into effect in 2026, will also apply to BNPL agreements.
Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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487. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount and number of loans issued under €1,000, between €1,000 - €2000 and between €2000 - €5,000 here, in 2023 to date in 2025, by year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58878/25]
Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Central Bank of Ireland that it does not publish figures related to the number of loans issued under €1,000, between €1,000 - €2000 and between €2000 - €5,000.
However, data on the total amount of personal and business loans in Ireland, including a breakdown of loans by borrower, lender and loan type, is available on the Central Bank of Ireland’s website at www.centralbank.ie/statistics/frontierstatistics/total-domestic-credit.
This has been compiled using the Central Credit Register, a database containing records of loans and loan applications over €500. The most recent available data is in respect of March 2025.
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