SoftBank leads $640 million investment in Klarna, valuing buy-now-pay-later firm at $46 billion
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski attends the launch of the online payment start-up’s pop-up store in London.
Dave Benett | Getty Images for Klarna
LONDON — Swedish fintech firm Klarna said Thursday that it raised $639 million in a new funding round led by SoftBank, valuing the company at $45.6 billion.
Klarna is one of the largest providers of buy-now-pay-later services, which let people finance their shopping purchases interest-free over a period of monthly instalments. These services have become particularly popular since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The latest investment in Klarna, which was led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2, cements its status as Europe’s top fintech unicorn, and the second-biggest fintech start-up by valuation after Stripe.
