Klarna bolsters UK presence with key regional market expansions

FinTech juggernaut Klarna has expanded its footprint in the UK with a new office in London and larger premises in Manchester.

Klarna has taken an 11,000 square foot location at Aviation House in Holborn, a space the company claims will serve as its new UK headquarters. In Manchester, Klarna will expand its existing office space in Old Granada Studios – a move the firm noted ‘reiterated its commitment to UK-wide growth’.

The company said it will adopt a hybrid working policy for employees following a year of home working due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will include teams working together in the office on two agreed days per week, while employees will be provided flexibility to choose to either work from home or in the office on the other days.

Klarna now serves over 14 million consumers and over 13,000 retailers across the UK, as well as employing over 200 staff in the country. The firm remarked the new offices will allow it to grow, with plans to double its headcount in the UK over 2021-2022.

Klarna’s head of UK Alex Marsh said, “These investments in new office space not only demonstrate our considerable growth, but also underline our ambitions to be an increasingly important part of the UK economy – shaping the future of how we shop, bank and pay.

“The response we saw to the pandemic from our teams was so impressive and the considerable growth we achieved over the last year is testament to their dedication to our merchants and customers in tough circumstances. I know many are eager to get back into the office to work together in person again. I’m certain the spaces we are creating for our teams and the flexible arrangements we have put in place will help them be even more creative and productive.”

The UK expansions follow a strong year of growth for the Swedish firm. Earlier this year, the company became the highest-valued private FinTech in Europe after a powerful $1bn funding round pushed its valuation to $31bn.

Klarna is the third biggest FinTech by valuation worldwide, only trailing Stripe at $35bn and Chinese company Ant Financial, who are worth a staggering $150bn.

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