KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 -- It starts with a small, forgettable purchase.

The first time Syarlina Zakaria used a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service, she barely remembered what she bought. It was just a minor transaction around 2019, notable only for how seamless and harmless it felt.

For a generation of young Malaysians, that moment has become a digital rite of passage. BNPL has since embedded itself into daily life, not through a single major decision, but through the slow, quiet accumulation of seemingly insignificant payments.

"It just seemed incredibly convenient," Syarlina, a 29-year-old housewife, told Malay Mail. "Nothing major, just small purchases. Honestly, it seemed completely harmless at first."

Today, she juggles three BNPL pl...