Swedish fintech Klarna is getting into cryptocurrency, CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced as speculation mounted over the company’s much-anticipated public listing.
Writing on social media platform X, Siemiatkowski said the buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit company would “embrace crypto”, teasing there was more to come.
“Yes I know! This post will get a huge sigh and 2 views,” he wrote. “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…”
Klarna filed for an IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in November but has yet to confirm when it will list or the venue.
On Friday, the Financial Times reported the company was aiming to go public in April at a $15bn valuation, a touch above the $14.6bn price tag Bloomberg reported in October.
The fintech has also been subject to internal divisions among senior management recently, notably between Siemiatkowski and cofounder Victor Jacobsson.
At the tail end of last year, Klarna shareholders voted to oust director Mikael Walther from its board, who was seen as a key ally of Jacobsson.
Siemiatkowski himself is an active investor, as Sifted detailed in an interview with the CEO of Flat Capital, the investment firm set up to manage his wealth — and help the Klarna CEO take big bets on fast-growing startups.
Klarna declined to comment.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/klarna-crypto-ipo-ceo-price-valuation-fintech/
