Affirm
Affirm Holdings, Inc. is an American financial technology company that builds a transparent buy now, pay later payment network for consumers and merchants.
The Story
Affirm started in 2012 when Max Levchin and three co-founders set out to rebuild the checkout experience around transparency instead of hidden fees. Rather than modeling themselves on traditional credit cards, they built a payment platform that shows consumers the total cost up front, offers predictable installment plans, and charges no late fees.
That premise resonated with both shoppers and merchants, and Affirm grew from a startup studio experiment into a publicly traded payment network serving millions of U.S. consumers and hundreds of thousands of merchants. In 2021, the company listed on Nasdaq under AFRM and continued expanding its consumer products with the Affirm Card and the Affirm Money Account.
Today the business is headquartered in San Francisco, operates across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and remains led by founder and CEO Max Levchin.
Key Facts & Metrics
Products & Services
Affirm Platform
Affirm's buy now, pay later payment platform offering transparent installment plans, including interest-free and monthly payment options, with no late fees.
Company Timeline
2012 — Company founded
Max Levchin, Nathan Gettings, Jeffrey Kaditz, and Alex Rampell founded Affirm within the startup studio HVF.
2014 — Levchin became CEO
Co-founder Max Levchin took over as chief executive officer, shifting the company toward direct consumer financial services.
2021 — Nasdaq IPO
Affirm went public on Nasdaq under the ticker AFRM, raising about $1.2 billion in its initial public offering.
2024 — Affirm Card launch and expansion
Affirm broadened its consumer offerings by launching the Affirm Card debit product and the FDIC-insured Affirm Money Account.
2025 — Scale and profitability progress
The company reported $3.22 billion in revenue, roughly 27 million users, and operating leverage improvements while expanding into the U.K. and additional digital wallets.
