What Credova does

Credova is a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and consumer financing platform purpose-built for industries and consumer segments that mainstream financial institutions typically decline to serve. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, the company concentrates on outdoor gear, tactical equipment, firearms, hunting, shooting sports, and preparedness retail — verticals where conventional lenders apply restrictive criteria. Named merchant partners include Guns.com, Daniel Defense, Staccato, EOTech, Primary Arms, and Aero Precision. Credova operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSQ Holdings, Inc. (PublicSquare, NASDAQ: PSQ), following its March 2024 acquisition.

The platform is anchored on Credova Credit, which originates unsecured installment loans and retail installment sales contracts with no-credit-impact prequalification and custom underwriting built for non-prime credit profiles. Supporting infrastructure includes a RESTful HTTP API with JWT authentication and sandbox/production environments, a JavaScript plugin supporting modal/popup/redirect display modes, and a customer-facing portal. Native integrations span Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Celerant Cumulus, AmmoReady, Connected Data Solutions, and Coreware, with a direct API path for enterprise custom storefronts. The product surface has expanded to include PSQ Payments (merchant payment processing) and Credova Giving (charitable donations at checkout).

Credova earns revenue primarily through transaction fees from merchants on each completed financing arrangement and interest embedded in installment contracts; payment processing fees on PSQ Payments volume constitute a growing secondary stream. Distribution is U.S.-domestic only, with state-level restrictions excluding Washington DC, Massachusetts, New York, and Indiana, alongside U.S. territories. The company is licensed under Credova Financial, LLC (NMLS ID 1818530) and operates with 11-50 employees. Cumulative metrics include nearly $400M financed and 4,800+ merchants served since inception, with 75% year-over-year financed-amount growth and 536% year-over-year payments GMV growth during the 2025 Black Friday-to-Cyber-Monday window.

Name

Credova

Legal name

Credova Financial, LLC

Website

https://credova.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Credova is a Buy Now Pay Later financing platform serving outdoor, tactical, and firearms merchants and their consumers through embedded credit, payment processing, and API/plugin integrations across major e-commerce platforms, operating as a subsidiary of PSQ Holdings (NASDAQ: PSQ).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Installment Lending

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Sales Financing (522220), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant-Integrated BNPL (Online Checkout) (FSAKACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

BNPL Platform Infrastructure (APIs, Orchestration, Merchant Tools) (FSAKACAE), In-Store / In-Person BNPL (POS) (FSAKACAB), Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Platforms (BPAMAFAG)

Keywords

• Buy now pay later
• Consumer installment lending
• Merchant financing API
• Embedded checkout financing
• Retail installment contracts

Headquarters

HQ city

Vausseroux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Facilitation Fees: Credova charges merchants transaction fees for financing services rendered. The platform originates unsecured retail installment sales contracts and installment loans, earning fees from the merchant for each completed transaction.
2. Installment Financing Interest: Consumer financing is provided through unsecured installment loans or retail installment sales contracts, with payments spread over time. Revenue is generated through the interest/fees built into these financing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Credova provides Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumer installment financing through embedded checkout integrations for online and in-store merchants. It originates unsecured installment loans and retail installment sales contracts for consumers and charges merchants transaction fees for the financing infrastructure. The platform is purpose-built for merchants and consumers in outdoor, tactical, firearms, hunting, and preparedness industries that are typically underserved by traditional lenders.

Product overview

Credova operates as a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) financial technology platform consisting of Credova Credit for consumer financing and PSQ Payments for merchant payment processing. The platform also includes developer integration tools (Credova Plugin and Credova API) enabling merchants to embed financing options directly into e-commerce checkout flows. Credova Portal provides customers with account management capabilities. The company serves underserved industries including outdoor gear, tactical equipment, hunting, and shooting sports merchants, offering installment financing with no hard credit check at prequalification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Credova Credit Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) consumer installment financing product enabling shoppers to purchase goods from participating merchants and pay over time through installment plans. Prequalification does not perform a hard credit inquiry, allowing consumers across the credit spectrum to see offers without impacting their credit score.
• PSQ Payments Merchant payment processing platform integrated with Credova's financing products, providing unified checkout support across online, in-store, and phone-based transactions for retailers in specialty verticals.
• Credova API RESTful HTTP API enabling developers to programmatically create financing applications, check application status, retrieve financing partner information, calculate payment options, upload invoices, and manage order delivery information. Supports sandbox testing and one-hour JWT tokens.
• Credova Plugin JavaScript-based merchant integration tool that embeds prequalification buttons, checkout popups, and financing application flows directly into merchant websites. Supports modal, popup, and redirect display modes with customizable branding options.

Quantifiable outcome

• Financed nearly $400 million in transactions with over 4,800 merchants since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aero PrecisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Expanded partnership where Credova's embedded credit products are combined with PSQ Payments' upgraded payments stack to provide unified checkout support, credit, and financing across Aero Precision's e-commerce operations for firearms products, parts, and accessories.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationNative Credova app integration available on the Shopify platform, enabling Shopify merchants to easily add Credova financing as a payment option in their online stores.
• WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationCredova offers a WooCommerce plugin allowing merchants on the WordPress e-commerce platform to integrate installment financing options.
• MagentocoreTechnology or IntegrationMagento 2 extension available for Credova integration, enabling merchants on the Magento e-commerce platform to offer buy now, pay later financing.
• BigCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationBigCommerce integration available for Credova, allowing merchants on this platform to offer financing options at checkout.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Affirm: Large, publicly traded BNPL platform offering merchant-integrated installment financing at checkout across thousands of merchants. Comparable to Credova in product structure (online checkout BNPL) but operates at vastly broader scale and across mainstream verticals rather than firearms/tactical.
• Klarna: Global BNPL leader offering pay-in-installments and pay-in-full options embedded into merchant checkout. Comparable to Credova on merchant-integrated online BNPL mechanics, though Klarna serves mainstream retail and does not focus on firearms-adjacent verticals.
• Afterpay (Block): Pay-in-4 BNPL platform owned by Block, integrated into merchant checkout across mainstream retail. Comparable to Credova on the embedded checkout BNPL model but serves prime-leaning consumers in mass-market verticals rather than firearms/tactical.

Direct peers

• Sunbit: BNPL provider specializing in in-store and online financing for everyday and vertical-specific merchants including automotive, healthcare, and home services. Closest peer to Credova given its focus on near-prime/subprime consumers and vertical specialization, similar underwriting-for-uncovered-markets positioning.
• Snap Finance: Lease-to-own and installment lender focused on subprime and thin-file consumers at the point of sale across retail verticals. Comparable to Credova's positioning on underserved credit profiles and embedded checkout integration with merchants selling higher-ticket discretionary goods.
• Vyze (now part of Versatile Credit): Multi-lender credit orchestration platform historically serving merchants including firearms and outdoor retailers. Comparable to Credova because it offered BNPL-style financing infrastructure specifically tuned to firearms-adjacent merchants.
• Progressive Leasing: Lease-to-own financing provider (subsidiary of Vivint) serving subprime consumers at retail point of sale across verticals including sporting goods and outdoor. Comparable to Credova on consumer profile (subprime/near-prime) and BNPL-like installment mechanics at the merchant checkout.

Emerging players

• Perpay: BNPL platform focused on serving near-prime consumers through employer-linked payroll deductions. Comparable to Credova on the subprime-inclusive underwriting philosophy and consumer installment model, though distributed through employers rather than merchant checkouts.
• Four (formerly Zibby): Lease-to-own and BNPL provider targeting subprime and credit-challenged consumers at the point of sale. Comparable to Credova on consumer profile and merchant-integrated installment financing.
• Zilch: Direct-to-consumer and merchant-integrated BNPL provider operating in the U.S. and UK with a focus on flexible repayment. Comparable to Credova on consumer credit underwriting and merchant-integrated financing, though broader in vertical focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/credova-financial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Credova