Online payments company Affirm pops on public debut as others queue for IPOs SHARE Shares in online payments company Affirm Holdings Inc. nearly doubled on their public debut on the Nasdaq today as the market for initial public offerings in 2021 appears to be as hot as it was in 2020. Affirm operates in the “buy now, pay later” short-term finance market, a segment of the financial services industry that has become popular over the last few years. The company priced its shares in its IPO at $49, above its initial target range of $41 to $44. But those numbers meant nothing to investors as Affirm shares surged to more than $100 at one point before closing regular trading at $97.24, up 98% over its IPO price.