“Klarna is expanding into the competitive world of price comparisons, with the launch of a new tool that compares prices across thousands of retailers. The company quietly rolled out the price comparison service in the U.S. a few weeks back, and is now extending this into additional markets in Europe including The U.K. and the Nordics. The European “buy now, pay later” fintech has had a turbulent year, laying off 10% of its workforce in May followed by a second round of layoffs in September. Sandwiched in between, news emerged that Klarna had raised $800 million in funding, albeit at a valuation 85% lower than the previous year, a trend that has echoed elsewhere across the fintech sphere and beyond.”

“Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski joins Emily Chang to discuss the launch of its latest tool, competition on the US and international scene, potential BNPL regulation and consumer sentiment.”

More than 2 in 3 (68%) of shoppers plan to spend more or the same on holiday shopping this year compared to last year, according to a new holiday report from Klarna, the global leader in the generational shift away from credit cards. About 1 in 4 (24%) of shoppers have tightened their budgets and plan to spend less. Moreover, while 1 in 3 (31%) plan to spend more this holiday season, consumers of all ages are also prioritizing deals, discounts, and apps, signaling an even bigger emphasis on smart and savvy shopping habits.

“The data this year tells a slightly different story about holiday shopping. We’re seeing a combination of shoppers tightening their budgets, and shoppers that are willing to spend at similar or higher rates. But the common denominator is that the majority are approaching the holiday season sales in a much more savvy way,” said Klarna’s Global Head of Partner Success, Raji Behal. “The vast majority of all holiday shoppers this season are focused on budget-friendly products, discounts, and smarter ways to shop.”

“Swedish payments company Klarna said on Wednesday its half-yearly operating loss more than tripled weighed down by an increase in employee costs, higher credit losses and continued investment in market expansion. The operating result for the first half of the year was a loss of 6.17 billion Swedish crowns ($578.52 million) compared with 1.76 billion crowns in the year-earlier period. Total credit losses rose to 2.85 billion crowns from 1.85 billion crowns a year earlier. Known for its “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) services, Klarna grew fast during the pandemic but since the start of the year rampant inflation and the war in Ukraine had worsened business sentiment.”

“Klarna wants to lead a generational shift away from credit cards and, increasingly, be users’ only app for online shopping. Klarna has made a big step forward in its long-term strategy to become the sole shopping app consumers use. The BNPL giant has updated its app so consumers can use it to keep track of all online shopping, not just Klarna purchases.  Klarna says the move will help UK consumers save time and manage their online purchases more convenient.  Users connect their email accounts to the app and Klarna scans details from order confirmation emails and imports the data into the Klarna app. This data includes product images, prices, delivery tracking numbers, and carrier and parcel tracking information. The feature is compatible today with Gmail and Outlook.”

“Swedish payments firm Klarna Bank AB said on Monday it had raised $800 million of funds at a valuation of $6.7 billion, down around 85% from the $46 billion price-tag it attracted last year. The tough stance taken by funders comes amid a drop-off in investor interest in fast-growing tech ventures that have yet to turn a profit and are burning through their cash reserves.”

“Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments, and shopping service today announced the launch of its new Loyalty Card feature in the Klarna App. This allows app users to store and access their physical loyalty cards as digital versions. They can then collect all points and benefits at any merchant without the need to carry plastic equivalents while out shopping in-store. Powered by the acquisition of mobile wallet provider, Stocard, the primary consumer offering now integrates into the Klarna App as a means of further establishing an all-in-one experience that drives convenience and value to consumers’ shopping journey. The feature supports over 8,000 loyalty reward programs worldwide, spanning everything from clothing and beauty to technology and groceries to help ensure that consumers never miss out on collecting valuable points – wherever they shop.”

“The head of Klarna’s UK business has criticized what he called “mind-boggling” and “irresponsible” research by Barclays Plc that called for stronger regulation of the buy-now-pay-later sector, the latest sign of the growing willingness of lenders to insert themselves into a market dominated by new entrants.”

“Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski joins Emily Chang to talk about Apple embracing Buy Now, Pay Later and how to build trust with consumers, and how interest-free BNPL can be a help to consumers in times of rising inflation.”

“Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has defended his company’s business model and the controversial “buy now, pay later” industry. Klarna lets consumers buy things that they might not necessarily be able to afford at that moment in time. Its 150 million customers pay a relatively small amount up front and pay back the rest later.   In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Friday, the Swedish entrepreneur said BNPL is “superior” to the credit card model, claiming that the average Klarna user has an outstanding balance of $50, whereas the average credit card user has an outstanding balance of $5,000.”

“Buy now, pay later has become nearly ubiquitous here in the U.S. As such, companies that offer that technology to merchants are unsurprisingly growing more competitive with each other. Case in point. This past week, San Francisco–based Affirm announced it was making its buy now, pay later technology available to U.S. businesses that use Stripe’s payments tech. This means that a whole slew of companies that were not previously able to offer their customers the option to pay in installments, now can.”

“Marqeta, the global modern card issuing platform, today announced it is working with Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments and shopping service, to power its new Klarna Card. The Klarna Card will bring the company’s popular “Pay in 4″ service to a physical Visa card, empowering consumers to pay over time in four equal, interest-free payments for any in-store or online purchase.”

“Public markets are down, and banks and economists are grappling with the possibility of an economic downturn. In these uncertain times, even Europe’s best-funded startup is not immune. Yesterday buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant Klarna’s CEO and cofounder Sebastian Siemiatkowski said that the company will lay off 10% of its workforce. The company also quietly announced that pre-tax losses tripled to $250m in the first three months of the year, up from $80m in the same period last year.  It’s a stark reminder of how exposed one of investors’ — and consumers’ — most beloved innovations of the past decade is to macroeconomic headwinds. Since 2019, investors have poured $3.9bn into Klarna and its European rivals like Scalapay, Zilch, Alma and Zilch — more than half of the total investment into European payments startups in that time.”

“Europe’s most valuable fintech company Klarna is facing a c.30 per cent cut in an ongoing funding round aimed at raising  $1bn, according to media reports. In contrast to other reports from the start of the year, when the ‘buy now, pay later’ giant was said to be courting sovereign wealth and pension funds as new investors at a valuation between $50-60bn. The Swedish company last raised cash in June of 2021 at a $45.6bn valuation, and previous to this at a $10.6bn valuation in September of 2020. Owing to explosive growth in the BNPL market during the pandemic as well as rapid geographical expansion, Klarna has scaled to 150 million global customers”

“Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments, and shopping service, today announced the launch of its Virtual Shopping offering, bringing the best of in-store to the online experience. Virtual Shopping by Klarna enables consumers to browse and buy online with confidence by connecting them directly with in-store experts through live chats and video calls to receive product advice and inspiration. For retailers, Virtual Shopping empowers in-store teams to bring their expertise beyond the walls of physical stores to millions of shoppers online. By using the new merchant-facing Klarna Store App, in-store teams can share photos and videos of items and demo products live directly from the store floor, from home, or even from emerging dark store concepts. This in turn drives brand engagement and loyalty while reducing return rates. The launch builds upon the successful acquisition of Hero, a social shopping platform and leader in virtual shopping services, last year.”

“Buy now, pay later giant Klarna says it will start reporting data on customers’ usage of its products to credit bureaus in the U.K., gearing up for incoming regulations aimed at reining in the sector over fears it is putting young people into debt. Starting June 1, the Swedish fintech firm will share information on whether Brits paid off an installment loan in time or are falling behind on their payments to TransUnion and Experian, meaning such data will now start to appear on their credit reports. Klarna has around 16 million users in the country.”

“As gas prices continue to increase across the nation amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “buy now, pay later” companies like Klarna and Zip have partnered with gas stations to provide consumers with options to stretch out their payments. Both Klarna and Zip are payment options at Texaco and Chevron gas stations, where you can choose to split up your (now inevitably sky-high) gas payments into four payments due over six weeks.”

“Klarna has today launched KlarnaSense, a new initiative to encourage consumers to shop smarter by purchasing the right things, at the right time. Our brains consume and process approximately 11 million pieces of information per second in order to make a decision – all of this subconsciously.  Those decisions are effortless and quick, but far from considered, and can lead to impulse buying. KlarnaSense uses retail psychology to promote more mindful shopping, challenging consumers to engage their conscious brain by asking themselves three simple questions before they head to the checkout: Do I love it? Will I use it? Is it worth it?”

“TOMS has partnered with Klarna, the leading global alternative payments provider, to give shoppers in the U.S. two new options at the online checkout to pay later in either four equal installments or in 30 days – with no interest or fees. TOMS engages customers by integrating them into their giving strategy, and flexible payment methods will allow more people to participate in TOMS’s goal of building a better tomorrow. “TOMS is excited to increase accessibility to our brand with Klarna payment options,” said Ryan Slyper, Vice President of Ecommerce from TOMS. “We hope to empower our customers by giving them options on how to make their purchase and choose how that purchase will make an impact. Customers can choose for their purchase to contribute to issues such as safe water, mental health, shoe giving, ending gun violence, homelessness, and equality.”

“With the tremendous amount of opportunities ahead for the company, the strong financial performance and momentum gained in 2018 with a 36% increase in sales volumes to USD 29bn1 (SEK 252bn), and a 31% increase in total net operating revenues to USD 627m (SEK 5,451m) will provide a solid foundation for continued growth. Klarna’s offering continues to resonate with consumers, merchants and partners across all markets as demand grows steadily. Klarna is now partnering with over 130,000 merchants across verticals, with over 25,000 newly added in 2018 and existing partnerships both deepening and expanding across markets. There is now an average of 1 million transactions a day running on the platform.”