Klarna went from Europe’s most valuable startup to a lesson in how fast fortunes can change—and now, the long-delayed IPO is finally happening. The Swedish company turned “buy now, pay later,” or BNPL into a global catchphrase and won the hearts of Gen Z along the way. Now it’s preparing to list shares at an estimated $14 billion valuation, but it’s been quite a ride to get there, including a 69% fall from the $45.6 billion perch it once enjoyed.
Back in 2021, the Swedish BNPL giant was soaring in subsequent fundraises, first becoming Europe’s startup champion and then coming only behind Stripe among fintechs globally. Still, a $14 billion IPO represents a redemption arc for a company that could’ve easily been another cautionary tale—its valuation plunged by as much as 85%, to $6.7 billion by 2022. Klarna has cleaned up its finances, diversified into ads and consumer features, and now looks more like a disciplined fintech platform than a free-spending rocket ship.
