The news: Worldline will offer merchants Klarna’s buy now, pay later (BNPL) options in-store and online, per a press release.

Integrations for the travel and digital industries will be first priority, with rollouts for ecommerce enterprises and SMBs to follow.

How we got here: Klarna is making its installments ubiquitous across UK and European markets through tie-ups and integrations.

• It launched tap to pay on iPhone for 14 European markets last December.
• Klarna’s buy button was embedded in eBay in December 2024.

Why this matters: Worldline is Europe’s biggest ecommerce provider; with 90% internet ecommerce penetration, it serves 469 million customers, per Statista data cited by Worldline. 

In clinching this tie-up, Klarna deepens its buy now, pay later (BNPL) footprint on the continent, where it faces competition from incumbents and newcomers:

• PayPal rolled out contactless payment in Germany to get its BNPL service in-store.
• Affirm’s exclusive partnership with Shopify gives the US-based fintech company more penetration in the UK  through Shop Pay installments.
• And issuing banks like HSBC are deepening their BNPL offerings due to growing consumer enthusiasm for the payment option. 

Implications for BNPL providers: Checkout ubiquity is a surefire way to connect with consumers. Buy button visibility for ecommerce can encourage shoppers to seek out BNPL-enabled cards for in-store purchases after positive installment experiences online.

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