"You Can Pay Me Now or You Can Pay Me Later" with Afterpay's Co-Founder Nick Molnar

This episode we welcome Nick Molnar, co-founder of AfterPay, the pioneering buy now pay later (BNPL) company acquired by Block (formerly Square) in 2021. At a time when BNPL is capturing headlines due to its rapid growth this holiday season, we engage in a wide-ranging conversation with one the sector's pioneering leaders.

Nick takes us through his founder's story before we delve into how BNPL delivers value for both consumers and retailers. He also helps us understand some of the common myths and misperceptions about how it all works, explains how credit risk is managed, and gives us a view into what's next for the sector--and consumers more broadly.

Check out their latest research on the market here.

But first we open up with our take on the most interesting recent retail news, including what to make (if anything) about Black Friday and Cyber Monday results. Then it's on to Shein's plans to go public as fellow Chinese e-commerce behemoth Pinduoduo zooms past Alibaba's valuation on the strength of Temu's remarkable growth. RH continues to amplify the wow as it opens a retail estate on the bucolic hills of Indianapolis, while also making a big move into Germany. We close with some musings about the differences between disinflation and deflation.

About Nick

Serial-entrepreneur, Nick’s vision for Afterpay was to create a global payment solution that would allow consumers to pay for things they want and need over time, using their own money. As a millennial himself, he recognized that his generation has an aversion to credit cards and compounding debt.

Nick launched Afterpay with his co-founder, Anthony Eisen, in Australia in October 2014 and listed the company on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2016. The company expanded into the U.S. in May 2018 and soon after, expanded into Canada, France, Italy, Spain and the UK. As of June 2021, Afterpay had more than 20 million customer accounts in the United States alone and was offered by more than 150,000 merchants globally.

In August of 2021, Afterpay was sold to Block (NYSE: SQ) for US$29 billion. Nick currently co- leads Afterpay’s business at Block.

You can learn more about Nick from his LinkedIn profile and hear him talk about the founding of the company here.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, board member, and keynote speaker focused on strategic growth and transformation and the impact of digital disruption. He is the author of the bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption and the forthcoming Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption , which will be published in March 2024 and is now available for pre-order at book retailers everywhere. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on social media..

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.