“Buy-now, pay-later” firm Klarna aims to return to profit by summer 2023.
Jakub Porzycki | NurPhoto | Getty Images
Swedish firm Klarna is partnering up with Dutch payments fintech Adyen to bring its popular buy now, pay later service into physical retail stores.
The company said Thursday that it had entered into an agreement with Adyen to add its payments products as an option at physical payment machines used by the Amsterdam-based fintech’s merchant partners.
Klarna will be included as an option across more than 450,000 Adyen payment terminals in brick-and-mortar locations as a result of the deal, according to the companies. The partnership will initially launch in Europe, North America and Australia with a wider rollout planned later down the line.
Klarna’s buy now, pay later, or BNPL, service allows users to spread the cost of their purchases over a period of interest-free installments. The service is mostly associated with online shopping, which currently accounts for about 5% of the global e-commerce market, according to Klarna.
Targeting consumers in-store has become an increasingly important priority as Klarna and other firms in the sector such as Block‘s Afterpay, Affirm, Zip, Sezzle, and Zilch seek to expand their reach.
The move expands on a previous arrangement Klarna had in place with Adyen on e-commerce payments.
“We want consumers to be able to pay with Klarna at any checkout, anywhere,” David Sykes, chief commercial officer at Klarna, said in a statement Thursday.
“Our strong partnership with Adyen gives a massive boost to our ambition to bring flexible payments to the high street in a new way.”
Adyen’s head of EMEA, Alexa von Bismarck, said the deal was about giving consumers flexibility at checkout, adding that “consumers care deeply about the in-store touch point and value brands which can allow them to pay how they want.”
Earlier this year, Klarna sold Klarna Checkout, the company’s online checkout solution for merchants. This saw the firm compete less directly with payment gateways including the likes of Adyen, Stripe, and Checkout.com.
Klarna’s deal with Adyen comes as the Swedish tech giant is exploring a much-anticipated initial public offering.
Klarna hasn’t yet set a fixed timeline on when it expects to go public, however the firm’s CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told CNBC earlier this year that a 2024 IPO for the business wouldn’t be “impossible.”
In August, Klarna began rolling out a checking account-like product, called Klarna balance, as well as cashback rewards in a bid to convince consumers to move more of their financial lives over to its platform.
BNPL has faced criticisms from consumer rights campaigners, however, over fears it promotes the idea of consumers spending more than they can afford. Regulators are pushing for rules to bring the nascent — but fast-growing — payment method into regulation.
City Minister Tulip Siddiq said in July that the government would establish new proposals “shortly” after multiples delays to the previous Conservative government’s regulation plans for BNPL.
In this photo illustration, the Robinhood Markets, Inc. logo is displayed on a smartphone screen.
Rafael Henrique | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Retail brokerage firm Robinhood is launching a new tool for more sophisticated traders as it looks for additional avenues for growth.
On Wednesday, the firm introduced Robinhood Legend, a desktop-based platform for active traders. The offering includes advanced charting tools for users who want to do detailed analysis of stocks.
“In looking at the landscape of trading tools and by talking with active traders, we realized there is frustration with legacy offerings,” Steve Quirk, chief brokerage officer at Robinhood, said in a press release.
“Specifically, moving back and forth between apps or charting platforms can be cumbersome and time consuming. So we set out to reimagine what a modern, intuitively designed active trading platform should look like, and built Robinhood Legend from the ground up so traders can do what they need in one place,” Quirk said.
Beyond the launch of Legend, Robinhood also said it will soon add futures trading and index options to its mobile platform. Customers must be granted approval to trade futures contracts, according to the press release, and futures and index options will eventually be added to Legend as well.
The new additions for Robinhood are another example of the firm looking to expand beyond its roots as a convenient platform for small-dollar traders. The firm’s rise coincided with the “meme stock” phenomenon in early 2021 as retail trading boomed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Robinhood shares, all-time
Since then, Robinhood has been steadily adding new offerings, including a credit card for Robinhood Gold subscribers and a digital wallet to hold cryptocurrencies.
Robinhood said that it had $139.7 billion in assets under custody at the end of the second quarter, along with 11.8 million monthly active users. For the comparable quarter in 2021, near the height of the GameStop mania, Robinhood reported $102 billion in assets but 21.3 million monthly active users. The firm’s next earnings report is scheduled for Oct. 30.
Shares of Robinhood are up more than 100% so far this year.
The announcements on Thursday were part of HOOD Summit, a conference for Robinhood’s customers.
Check out the companies making headlines in extended trading. Discover Financial – Shares inched lower by 1%. The financial services company posted third quarter results that surpassed expectations, with earnings of $3.69 per share on $4.45 billion of revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG were calling for earnings of $3.42 per share and revenue of $4.35 billion. CSX – The rail transportation company lost 4% after third quarter results fell short of Wall Street’s forecasts. CSX reported earnings of 46 cents per share on revenue of $3.62 billion, while analysts polled by LSEG anticipated 48 cents per share in earnings and revenue of $3.67 billion. Overall volumes were up 3% from the year-ago period, but revenue per unit was down about 1%. Alcoa – Shares of the aluminum producer jumped nearly 9%. Alcoa posted third quarter adjusted earnings of 57 cents per share, topping analysts’ estimate for 28 cents a share, per LSEG. Revenue missed the mark, coming in at $2.90 billion versus the Street’s call for $2.97 billion. Lucid Group – The electric vehicle maker slid 10% after announcing a public offering of more than 262 million shares. Lucid also said that Ayar Third Investment Company, an affiliate of the Public Investment Fund, indicated it would buy more than 374 million shares. Kinder Morgan — Shares of the energy infrastructure company fell 2.7% on disappointing third-quarter results. Kinder Morgan reported adjusted earnings per share of 25 cents and revenue of $3.70 billion. Meanwhile, analysts had estimated 27 cents earnings per share on $3.98 billion in revenue. Management also announced it expects to fall below budget on adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization and adjusted earnings per share by 2% and 4%, respectively. PPG Industries — Shares slipped less than 1% after the paints manufacturer missed on both top and bottom lines in the third quarter. PPG Industries posted adjusted earnings of $2.13 per share on $4.58 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by LSEG had forecasted $2.15 earnings per share and revenue of $4.65 billion. A challenging global industrial production backdrop pressured the company’s results. SL Green – The office building-focused company tumbled around 3% after posting a revenue miss in the third quarter. SL Green reported $139.6 million in quarterly revenue, based on a rental income basis, while analysts polled by LSEG had expected $142.5 million. Meanwhile, losses came in at 21 cents per share versus the Street’s forecast of a 50-cent per share loss. Equifax — The consumer credit reporting company dropped nearly 5% after issuing weak guidance. In the fourth quarter, Equifax anticipates adjusted earnings of $2.08 to $2.18 per share, while analysts polled by LSEG sought $2.20 per share. The revenue outlook for the quarter also fell short of expectations. Steel Dynamics — The steel producer added 3%. Third quarter earnings came in at $2.05 per share, beating the $1.97 per share anticipated by analysts, per LSEG. Revenue also trounced expectations, with Steel Dynamics reporting $4.34 billion, versus the $4.18 billion estimated by the Street. — CNBC’s Darla Mercado contributed reporting
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Novavax – Shares plunged more than 17% after the biotech company said the Food and Drug Administration put a clinical hold on its application for a Covid and influenza combination shot as well as a standalone flu vaccine. United Airlines – The stock soared 11% after the airline posted an earnings and revenue beat for the third quarter and guided for a strong fourth quarter. In addition, United said it is starting a $1.5 billion share buyback, its first since before the Covid pandemic. Morgan Stanley – Shares popped 7% after the bank reported quarterly results that beat Wall Street’s forecasts , boosted by higher profits from its wealth management, trading and investment banking divisions. The firm posted earnings of $1.88 per share, higher than the $1.58 expected by a LSEG analyst poll. Revenue was $15.38 billion versus the $14.41 billion consensus estimate. Cisco Systems – The technology networking stock advanced 3.3% to a 52-week high on the back of a Citi upgrade to buy from neutral. Citi said artificial intelligence can become a larger part of the business over time. Novocure – The stock rose 2.1% on the heels of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the company’s wearable treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, known as Optune Lua. ASML – Shares of the semiconductor equipment maker slumped 5.8%, building on a 16% loss from Tuesday after the Dutch company mistakenly released its third-quarter earnings earlier than expected . ASML Holding cut its sales outlook for 2025, citing a slower-than-expected recovery in segments beyond AI. J.B Hunt Transport Services – Shares added 3.4% after the company posted a top and bottom line beat. J.B. Hunt posted $1.49 earnings per share on $3.07 billion of revenue in the third quarter. Analysts polled by LSEG had forecast $1.41 in earnings per share on $3.02 billion of revenue. The company said demand for its intermodal service rose throughout the quarter. Aspen Aerogels – Shares gained 11% after the company announced that it received a conditional commitment for a proposed Department of Energy loan of up to $670.6 million. Aspen Aerogels also released preliminary results for the third quarter. For the period, the company is expecting revenue of around $117 million and adjusted EBITDA of around $25 million, above the $95.1 million in revenue and $14.1 million in adjusted EBITDA that analysts polled by FactSet were expecting. Prologis – The warehouse giant rose more than 4% after posting better-than-expected quarterly results . For the third quarter, Prologis reported core funds from operations of $1.43 per diluted share, above the $1.37 estimate from FactSet. In a statement, CEO Hamid Moghadam said: “Looking ahead, the supply picture is improving, and the long-term demand drivers for our business remain strong.” U.S. Bancorp – The stock moved more than 4% higher after U.S. Bancorp’s third-quarter earnings beat estimates, posting $1.03 per share versus the 99 cents per share that analysts were expecting, per LSEG. Revenue, however, missed estimates, coming in at $6.86 billion compared to the consensus estimate of $6.9 billion. General Motors – Shares increased more than 2% on the heels of the automaker’s agreement with Lithium Americas Corp. to establish a joint venture. The deal includes General Motors giving $625 million in cash and credit to the Canadian mining business. — CNBC’s Alex Harring, Hakyung Kim, Samantha Subin, Pia Singh and Michelle Fox contributed reporting.