Klarna
Line
- Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO
Klarna is a supplier invoice based payment solutions for online shop owners. The company was founded in Sweden Klarna AB, but maintains in Germany the Klarna GmbH based in Nuremberg and Cologne.
Operation
When you purchase with in online shops consumers get the goods before payment, which indeed for consumer safety means is connected but for traders with the risk of default. Providers such as Klarna guarantee under the factoring for dealers to payment.
Consumers choose the online shop the bill payment. The shop will ship out the goods to the consumer, who can look at his order and paid the invoice within 14 days of Klarna. Klarna then pays to the shop, even if the consumer does not pay the invoice amount; this also applies to cases of fraud. Klarna also offers consumers the possibility of payment in installments.
Consumers calculated Klarna for purchase on invoice no charge, as long as it pays on time. Participating online stores to pay fees and commission to Klarna Klarna their height but not published. For the rates of purchase there are fees and interest rates for consumers.
This Klarna competes with various other providers. The accounting department provides online shops, if used as a payment option correctly, pre-and so that the corresponding market has grown rapidly usually more disadvantages.
Company History
Klarna was founded in 2005 under the name " Vendor" by Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Niklas Adalberth and Victor Jacobsson, three students from the Stockholm School of Economics. The basic idea of the company was to allow online shops offering of online bill purchase. In 2008, vendor expanded with the support of Investment AB Öresund and Sven Hagströmer of CEO to Norway, Denmark and Finland.
2009 saw vendor in the course of international expansion, the name on Klarna.
Beginning of 2010 rose Sequoia Capital, previously involved in the rise of companies like Google, Paypal, Apple and YouTube, the largest sole shareholder in a Klarna. Michael Moritz, Partner at Sequoia Capital, it first went to the board of a European company. During the year Klarna expanded to Germany and the Netherlands.
The end of 2010 was Klaus Hommel, executive director of venture capital firm Hommel Holding, known for investments in Facebook, Skype and Spotify, appointed to the board of Klarna.
Klarna has approximately 700 employees and provides payment solutions in seven countries. Currently, Klarna transactions annually worth around 2.3 billion euros over 15,000 merchants who offer Klarna performed. In 2010, Klarna had an annual turnover of 38 million euros.
In December 2011 it was announced that Klarna could collect more than 115 million euros for a new round of financing. The round, led by General Atlantic and Yuri Milner ( DST Global ) served as the company's international expansion. General Atlantic and DST Global have also invested in companies like Facebook, Zynga, Twitter, Spotify, Groupon, Airbnb, Kaspersky Lab and Staples. In May 2012, Klarna announced that the international capital firm Atomico was recruited as an investor. Atomico focuses on technology companies and is led by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström.
Klarna Services
Klarna offers in Germany the payment options Klarna invoice and Klarna for online stores to. For Klarna invoice customers address data, date of birth and telephone number when purchasing online must specify and can then first examine the ordered goods before they have to pay the bill with a payment period of 14 days. In the payment option Klarna account the customer only address, date of birth and telephone number must also specify. Instead of a one-time payment, the customer pays the outstanding amount then in variable monthly installments. If the customer has elected to several online stores Klarna account as a payment option, the outstanding amounts are summarized in a monthly statement. The customer may at any time repay all outstanding amounts at once.
Supported Countries
Klarna offers its payment services for online shops in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. In Germany Klarna has offices in Cologne and Berlin. German online stores and consumers, the number types Klarna Klarna invoice and payment date will be offered, while in Sweden are also a mobile payment solution and a savings account. In Austria, Klarna has an office in Vienna and offers the service Klarna invoice.
Criticism
In early 2012 came Klarna in criticism, since there was a bug in cooperation with the former bank of the company. The bank did not provide correct message about which payments are received on 3 January 2012. Therefore, Klarna has to some customers who have paid their correct outstanding amount between 29 December 2011 and 3 January 2012 unjustified sent reminders. The company informed the affected customers and corrected the error. The wrongly sent reminders were declared invalid. Klarna later announced to have changed the bank for the processing of payment transactions. The reason for the change in the procedural efficiency of the financial institution was named.