Berlin bound Klarna eyes global shopping ecosystem status

Swedish PayTech venture Klarna is set to open a tech hub in Germany’s capital, Berlin, at the beginning of next year.

The company, which earlier this year raised $460 million in a funding round that valued it at $5.5 billion, says this will enable it to further build out its product portfolio and services, better serve its merchant and consumer base across Europe and the US and tap into the city’s talent base.

The site will be based in Berlin Mitte and offers Klarna employees space of around 7,400 square metres in a repurposed car garage. It will ultimately house more than 500 staff members and will be an addition to Klarna’s German offices in Munich and Linden.

“Berlin is one of the most exciting tech and entrepreneurial hubs worldwide and attracts exceptional local and international talents from all over the world. We are very proud and humbled to be part of that thriving ecosystem now,” says Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO at Klarna.

“This site will enable us to further scale our footprint in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and new markets, but at the same time build new products and services to solve people’s shopping pain points across Europe and the US. We are on a very exciting journey from a pure payment provider to a global shopping ecosystem and our team in Berlin will play a decisive part to reach our ambitious goals.“