Klarna boss Sebastian Siemiatkowski hails milestone as FinTech giant preps crypto move

Klarna Co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has taken to social media to tease a move by his company in to the cryptocurrency space.

In a post on X, he said: '“OK. I give up. Klarna and me will embrace crypto! More to come Yes I know! This post will get a huge sigh and two views. But it still feels historic. Last large FinTech in the world to embrace it. Someone had to be last. And that’s a milestone as well of some sort…”

He added: “Btw all crypto fans. Tell me what we should do with it? We have 85 m users worldwide. 100 bn of volume. Over 0.5 m merchants. About 30% of volume is debit not credit. Over 1 million cards. I have some ideas but keen to hear more!”

Responding to a barrage of replies, he commented: “Wow. Will fill my to do list for some while… Promise to follow up with all the ideas and suggestions! Feel free to follow me and I will keep you in the loop. Actually it was three great entrepreneurs introduced to me by Sequoia Capital’s Andrew Reed that made me see the light.”

IPO

On Friday, the Financial Times reported that Klarna, which made its name in the buy now pay later space and now positions itself as AI powered global payment network and shopping assistant, is readying for a US IPO.

The article cited people familiar with the matter, with an April listing a strong possibility and a valuation that could hit $15 billion.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Payments will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.