Online Payment Company Klarna To Expand Offline

The online payment service provider Klarna is looking to expand offline and into high street stores. The Stockholm-based start-up has said that it will launch its offline payment processing service next month. The new offline service would behave like an online transaction, sending the customer a text in the shop, with a link to Klarna's online payment portal. Currently offering online services to 65,000 e-commerce shops in 18 countries, Klarna's CEO Sebastian Seimiatkowski said that the new offline services had the potential to outgrow its online business. The move would allow Klarna to move into a much bigger market, as currently under 10% of retail transactions take place online in Western countries, where the company currently works. However, this move would also bring the new service into direct competition with traditional banks, or new payment systems from companies like Samsung or Apple. 

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