Students Urged to Beware of Impulse Buying and Paylater

Young people, particularly university students, need to improve their financial management skills amidst increasingly easy access to digital financial services. This message was highlighted during the Pindar Mengajar programme organised by the Indonesian Joint Funding Fintech Association (AFPI) at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Islamic University of Malang, on Wednesday, 24 June 2026. Shintya Maulida, Business Development Director of PT Plus Ultra Abadi, stated that the convenience of digital transactions must be balanced with sound financial understanding. She noted that the younger generation faces several challenges in managing finances, ranging from consumerist behaviour, FOMO (fear of missing out), and impulse buying, to the use of paylater services. “Amidst the current digital convenience, it actually presents challenges for the younger generation regarding financial management. One of them is prestige and FOMO, then easy access to digital transactions and impulse buying, including flash sale trends and paylater, which are major causes of people being less wise in using their money,” Shintya said during the discussion titled “Cerdas Mengelola, Bijak Bertransaksi” (Smart Managing, Wise Transacting) at UNISMA. Shintya explained that university students are part of Generation Z, which is substantial in number in Indonesia. According to 2025 BPS data, the number of Gen Z reaches nearly 75 million people, or almost 28% of the total population. With such numbers, the financial behaviour of Gen Z is considered to have an impact on the quality of national financial literacy and health in the future. According to Shintya, financial freedom is not solely determined by the size of one’s income, but also by the ability to manage income, control expenses, set priorities, and prepare for long-term needs. She also advised students to start controlling impulse buying behaviour by creating a monthly budget, setting spending limits, avoiding shopping when emotional, and evaluating expenses regularly. Beyond financial management, Shintya stressed the importance of understanding risks when taking out loans. She said loans should ideally be used for urgent needs and tailored to one’s repayment capacity. If used for productive purposes, the loan tenor should also be adjusted to the income targets of the business being run. During the activity, participants also gained an understanding of the importance of safeguarding personal data amidst increasing digital activity in society. Awareness of data security is considered a crucial factor in creating a safe and responsible digital financial ecosystem. “As a generation that grew up with technology, students have great opportunities to utilise various digital services productively. However, at the same time, they also need to understand the accompanying risks in order to make wiser and more responsible decisions,” Shintya said. The Pindar Mengajar programme is part of efforts to improve national financial literacy and inclusion through collaboration between industry, educational institutions, regulators, and the community. Based on the 2025 National Survey on Financial Literacy and Inclusion (SNLIK) conducted by OJK and BPS, Indonesia’s financial literacy index was recorded at 66.46%, while the financial inclusion index reached 80.51%. Going forward, education on digital finance, data security, and responsible financial management must continue to be strengthened so that the younger generation can build healthy financial habits from an early age.