Fintech Company Klarna Sees a Surge in Demand for BNPL Service
- The company has expanded its services substantially in the US and the UK.

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market has gained enormous popularity in the last few quarters amid a jump in adoption. Klarna, a Swedish financial technology startup Startup A company operating within its first stage of investing is known as a startup. While startups may give the impression that the company must be new, that is not always the case.Many companies can have this designation after nearly three years of existence. Typically, a company exits the startup status after a period between 3 to 5 years or after successful funding rounds where capital is acquired. Startups tend to derive out of the belief that there is a demand for a service or product which is created by at least one or more entrepreneurs. These seek capital as a means to bypass a limited availability of capital and combat high costs. This is why startups seek funding from funding rounds, crowdfunding, venture capitalists, financial institutions, or other sources. What Makes Startups Successful?Given the fact that most startups fail, the first three years of a startup are critical which is why startup founders require capital for talent acquisition, creating effective business models and plans.In parallel it is important to provide proof-of-concept for the long-term through an established user base and consistent revenue streams. Many startups use seed funding, which occurs during the first stage of funding rounds, where fundraised capital is used to conduct market research and product or service development.Sometimes, startups go through an acquisition process, where they merge larger companies competing in a similar industry. Companies that generate less than $20 million annually, possess less than 80 employees, and are primarily controlled by the founding entrepreneur(s) are generally classified as startups. Today, some of the world’s most successful companies started as startups, such as Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX to name a few. A company operating within its first stage of investing is known as a startup. While startups may give the impression that the company must be new, that is not always the case.Many companies can have this designation after nearly three years of existence. Typically, a company exits the startup status after a period between 3 to 5 years or after successful funding rounds where capital is acquired. Startups tend to derive out of the belief that there is a demand for a service or product which is created by at least one or more entrepreneurs. These seek capital as a means to bypass a limited availability of capital and combat high costs. This is why startups seek funding from funding rounds, crowdfunding, venture capitalists, financial institutions, or other sources. What Makes Startups Successful?Given the fact that most startups fail, the first three years of a startup are critical which is why startup founders require capital for talent acquisition, creating effective business models and plans.In parallel it is important to provide proof-of-concept for the long-term through an established user base and consistent revenue streams. Many startups use seed funding, which occurs during the first stage of funding rounds, where fundraised capital is used to conduct market research and product or service development.Sometimes, startups go through an acquisition process, where they merge larger companies competing in a similar industry. Companies that generate less than $20 million annually, possess less than 80 employees, and are primarily controlled by the founding entrepreneur(s) are generally classified as startups. Today, some of the world’s most successful companies started as startups, such as Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX to name a few. Read this Term, recently reported its financial results for the first nine months of 2021 and saw a sharp increase in the overall demand for its BNPL services.
Earlier this year, Klarna became one of the most valuable fintech startups in the world after receiving $639 million in a funding round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2. Klarna, which offers innovative BNPL services to clients, has expanded its services significantly in the UK and the US in the last few months.
In a recent discussion with CNBC, a spokesperson of Klarna said: “Each market entry follows a consistent financial trajectory; as volumes grow, and more customers use Klarna, market knowledge improves and credit risk decreases, making mature markets sustainably profitable.”
BNPL Market
Buy Now, Pay Later is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Apart from Klarna, other major BNPL players include Afterpay and Affirm. Leading financial companies around the world are planning to enter the BNPL market through acquisitions and the development of new products. One such example is the recent acquisition announcement by Square. The financial firm announced in August 2021 that it is planning to acquire Afterpay in a deal worth $29 billion.
“Afterpay, the pioneering global ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) platform, will accelerate Square’s strategic priorities for its Seller and Cash App ecosystems. Square plans to integrate Afterpay into its existing Seller and Cash App business units, enable even the smallest of merchants to offer BNPL at checkout, give Afterpay consumers the ability to manage their instalment payments directly in the Cash App, and give Cash App customers the ability to discover merchants and BNPL offers directly within the app,” Square mentioned at that time.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market has gained enormous popularity in the last few quarters amid a jump in adoption. Klarna, a Swedish financial technology startup Startup A company operating within its first stage of investing is known as a startup. While startups may give the impression that the company must be new, that is not always the case.Many companies can have this designation after nearly three years of existence. Typically, a company exits the startup status after a period between 3 to 5 years or after successful funding rounds where capital is acquired. Startups tend to derive out of the belief that there is a demand for a service or product which is created by at least one or more entrepreneurs. These seek capital as a means to bypass a limited availability of capital and combat high costs. This is why startups seek funding from funding rounds, crowdfunding, venture capitalists, financial institutions, or other sources. What Makes Startups Successful?Given the fact that most startups fail, the first three years of a startup are critical which is why startup founders require capital for talent acquisition, creating effective business models and plans.In parallel it is important to provide proof-of-concept for the long-term through an established user base and consistent revenue streams. Many startups use seed funding, which occurs during the first stage of funding rounds, where fundraised capital is used to conduct market research and product or service development.Sometimes, startups go through an acquisition process, where they merge larger companies competing in a similar industry. Companies that generate less than $20 million annually, possess less than 80 employees, and are primarily controlled by the founding entrepreneur(s) are generally classified as startups. Today, some of the world’s most successful companies started as startups, such as Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX to name a few. A company operating within its first stage of investing is known as a startup. While startups may give the impression that the company must be new, that is not always the case.Many companies can have this designation after nearly three years of existence. Typically, a company exits the startup status after a period between 3 to 5 years or after successful funding rounds where capital is acquired. Startups tend to derive out of the belief that there is a demand for a service or product which is created by at least one or more entrepreneurs. These seek capital as a means to bypass a limited availability of capital and combat high costs. This is why startups seek funding from funding rounds, crowdfunding, venture capitalists, financial institutions, or other sources. What Makes Startups Successful?Given the fact that most startups fail, the first three years of a startup are critical which is why startup founders require capital for talent acquisition, creating effective business models and plans.In parallel it is important to provide proof-of-concept for the long-term through an established user base and consistent revenue streams. Many startups use seed funding, which occurs during the first stage of funding rounds, where fundraised capital is used to conduct market research and product or service development.Sometimes, startups go through an acquisition process, where they merge larger companies competing in a similar industry. Companies that generate less than $20 million annually, possess less than 80 employees, and are primarily controlled by the founding entrepreneur(s) are generally classified as startups. Today, some of the world’s most successful companies started as startups, such as Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX to name a few. Read this Term, recently reported its financial results for the first nine months of 2021 and saw a sharp increase in the overall demand for its BNPL services.
Earlier this year, Klarna became one of the most valuable fintech startups in the world after receiving $639 million in a funding round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2. Klarna, which offers innovative BNPL services to clients, has expanded its services significantly in the UK and the US in the last few months.
In a recent discussion with CNBC, a spokesperson of Klarna said: “Each market entry follows a consistent financial trajectory; as volumes grow, and more customers use Klarna, market knowledge improves and credit risk decreases, making mature markets sustainably profitable.”
BNPL Market
Buy Now, Pay Later is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Apart from Klarna, other major BNPL players include Afterpay and Affirm. Leading financial companies around the world are planning to enter the BNPL market through acquisitions and the development of new products. One such example is the recent acquisition announcement by Square. The financial firm announced in August 2021 that it is planning to acquire Afterpay in a deal worth $29 billion.
“Afterpay, the pioneering global ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) platform, will accelerate Square’s strategic priorities for its Seller and Cash App ecosystems. Square plans to integrate Afterpay into its existing Seller and Cash App business units, enable even the smallest of merchants to offer BNPL at checkout, give Afterpay consumers the ability to manage their instalment payments directly in the Cash App, and give Cash App customers the ability to discover merchants and BNPL offers directly within the app,” Square mentioned at that time.