Regulator grants online retailer Bol license to operate as a payment provider
Dutch online retailer Bol, the Netherlands’ largest online retailer, has received approval from the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) to operate as a payment service provider.
A Bol spokesperson told Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) that the new division is mainly aimed at customers who want to pay later. The company will also offer payment services to online businesses, allowing them to process customer payments through Bol’s technology. The move is reportedly intended to create new revenue streams for Bol beyond product sales.
The expansion follows a broader trend of companies entering financial services that were traditionally handled by banks. Travel platform Booking.com grew from a reservation website into a payment services provider that processes thousands of transactions between travelers and hotels. More than 60 percent of Booking’s revenue now comes from commissions linked to these transactions.
Bol already works with Rabobank on short-term credit services for sellers using its platform. The company is owned by Ahold Delhaize, which generated 5.6 billion euros in online revenue in Europe in 2025, largely driven by Bol.
The company’s move comes as buy-now, pay-later services face criticism over concerns that they can contribute to consumer debt. Younger customers are among the most frequent users of these services. Dutch rules governing deferred payment services have been tightened to reduce the risk of people falling into debt.
Maurice Jongmans, chairman of the Dutch Association of Payment Institutions (VBIN), said Bol’s decision was not surprising. “Financial products are increasingly integrated,” he told the FD. “Banks are increasingly less able to finance entrepreneurs. They are not adapting enough to businesses.”
