Klarna has announced the divestment of Klarna Checkout (KCO). The buyer is a consortium of investors led by Kamjar Hajabdolahi, CEO & Founding Partner at BLQ Invest.
This strategic move, worth around €485 million, will allow KCO to continue its evolution and enhancement and removes the conflict of interest it created with partners such as Adyen and Stripe..
Klarna Checkout (KCO), launched in 2012, remains a market leader with over 40% market share in Sweden and over 20% across the Nordics.
While the Checkout solution continues to play a critical role for the merchants it serves, Klarna has over the past few years focused more on offering flexible payment methods in conjunction with multiple service providers, creating conflicts.
The buyer consortium is led by Kamjar Hajabdolahi of BLQ Invest, and includes Systematic Growth, founded by Ashkan Pouya, and serial entrepreneur Martin Randel. They focus on investing in and growing innovative Swedish companies. Hajabdolahi and his BLQ Invest are known for their “Buy and Build” strategy.
“We are thrilled to acquire Klarna Checkout and our ambition is to build on the solid foundation established by Klarna and take KCO to the next level, continuously evolving the product to meet the needs of our merchant partners and drive the future of e-commerce,” says Kamjar Hajabdolahi, CEO & Founding Partner at BLQ Invest.
“We look forward to engaging with our merchant partners and presenting our plans and roadmap for the continued evolution of KCO.”
The buyers will officially assume ownership of Klarna Checkout on 1 of October.
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