Klarna announces rapper A$AP Rocky as new investor

Rakim Mayers, better known as A$AP Rocky, has become a Klarna shareholder.

Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.

The buy now, pay later specialist said that the American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor, who spent much of July 2019 behind bars in Sweden after a violent incident on the streets of Stockholm between him, his entourage and two unknown men, will also become Klarna CEO for one day.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and Co-founder, Klarna comments: “A$AP Rocky defies categorisation; a musician, actor, philanthropist, an opinion leader in style, and fundamentally someone who understands what the public wants from so many vantage points.”

“He challenges the status quo each day. As the consumer experience in retail now demands discovery, curation and sustainability, we at Klarna have a lot to learn from him. Besides, after 16 years since founding Klarna, I think I deserve a day off.”

New investor alert! Welcome @asvpxrocky🙌🚀 Did we mention he’s becoming CEO for a day? During his term A$AP will invite everyone to rediscover the joy of getting dressed as we re-emerge from a global fashion hibernation among other things.https://t.co/HNKoa1rGWx
— Klarna (@Klarna) June 1, 2021

“Klarna is a company that looks ahead and challenges the status quo, which makes partnering with them so appealing to me,” says A$AP Rocky.

“I’m excited to begin working with it in a number of ways, including jointly creating a space for people to rediscover style as we emerge from a global fashion hibernation.”

As CEO, he will curate exclusive content in the Klarna shopping app focusing on upcycling and vintage fashion.

He will also join the PayTech venture’s recently launched GiveOne initiative by pledging 1% of his investment to projects focusing on climate and biodiversity.

Rocky’s choice is the Miti Alliance in Kenya and its founder Michael Waiyaki who is fighting to slow down the effects of climate change due to deforestation.