Klarna Expands Further Into Agentic Commerce, Offering Flexible Payments to Merchants via Stripe's Shared Payment Tokens
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agentic commercetechnical
Agentic commerce is buying and selling driven by autonomous digital agents — such as smart apps, bots, or AI assistants — that act on a person’s or business’s behalf to find, compare, negotiate and execute transactions. Investors should care because these agents can change who controls customer relationships, cut costs and speed up sales like a personal shopper that never sleeps, but they also shift competitive dynamics, data value and regulatory risk for platforms and retailers.
ai shopping agentstechnical
AI shopping agents are software tools that act like a personal shopper, using artificial intelligence to search, compare, recommend and sometimes complete purchases across online stores on behalf of a user. Investors care because these agents can change how consumers find products, boost or reduce sales and margins for retailers, and create new data and subscription or commission revenue streams for platforms—similar to how a travel agent reshapes ticket sales.
buy now, pay laterfinancial
A payment option that lets a buyer take a purchase immediately and split the cost into a few smaller, scheduled payments instead of paying the full amount up front. For investors, it matters because it can boost sales and customer loyalty for merchants, create fee and interest income for the lender, and introduce credit, default and regulatory risks that can affect revenue and valuation much like a change in a company’s loan book or consumer demand would.
bnplfinancial
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a service that allows consumers to purchase items immediately and pay for them over a set period, often through installment payments. For investors, BNPL companies represent a way to facilitate spending and generate revenue from transaction fees and interest, making them an important part of the evolving digital payments landscape.
shared payment tokenstechnical
A shared payment token is a digital stand-in for a customer’s actual card or bank details that can be used across multiple merchants, devices, or payment apps without exposing the real account number. Think of it like a library card number that works at many branches: it speeds checkout, reduces the risk of fraud, and makes it easier for different sellers and payment providers to accept the same secure credential. Investors care because wider token adoption can lower fraud losses, change transaction fees, and shift competitive dynamics in the payments industry.
card-on-file paymentsfinancial
Card-on-file payments occur when a customer’s payment card details are securely stored by a seller or service so future purchases can be charged without re-entering information; think of it like letting a store keep your credit card on hand for faster checkout or recurring deliveries. Investors care because this setup can boost repeat sales and steady subscription income by reducing friction, but it also brings costs and risks for security, customer trust, and regulatory compliance.
checkout flowstechnical
Checkout flows are the sequence of screens, forms and actions a shopper passes through to complete an online or in-app purchase. For investors, smoother checkout flows mean more visitors actually finish purchases, fewer abandoned carts, and higher sales from the same traffic; they're like a clear, fast checkout lane in a store that keeps customers moving. Improving them can lower what a company spends to get each paying customer and boost recurring sales, affecting revenue and profits.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, today announced that its flexible payment options will soon be supported in AI agent-driven shopping experiences through Stripe’s Shared Payment Tokens (SPTs), making Klarna available in AI-powered checkout flows for US merchants already live with Klarna through Stripe, provided AI shopping agents allow the ability to offer flexible payments at checkout.
The integration addresses a growing gap in agentic commerce: AI shopping agents have been defaulting to card-on-file payments by design, effectively freezing out alternative payment methods, including BNPL, from automated checkout flows which leaves consumers with less choice.
Stripe's SPTs are a payment tool built specifically for agentic commerce, allowing AI agents to initiate purchases using a customer's preferred payment method, without ever seeing the customer's actual payment details. Klarna's participation means flexible payments options like BNPL will soon be able to pass through that same permissioned layer. For merchants already offering Klarna through Stripe, no additional integration is required.
“The infrastructure being built for agentic commerce will define online checkout for the next decade,” said David Sykes, Chief Commercial Officer at Klarna. “As AI agents begin purchasing on consumers’ behalf, it’s critical that flexible payment options remain available. By supporting Stripe’s Shared Payment Tokens, we’re ensuring Klarna is embedded in this next generation of checkout experiences from day one.”
“Our Shared Payment Tokens will soon support Klarna, enabling AI agents to offer buy now, pay later payment options to buyers at checkout. By bringing Klarna to agentic transactions, we are helping businesses lift conversion while giving buyers more flexibility and control in how they pay,” said Kevin Miller, Head of Payments at Stripe.
As AI agents increasingly purchase on consumers' behalf, Klarna is ensuring consumers can continue to use their interest-free payments everywhere for everything, with more integrations to come.
About Klarna
Klarna is a global digital bank and flexible payments provider. With over 118 million global active Klarna users and 3.4 million transactions per day, Klarna’s AI-powered payments and commerce network is empowering people to pay smarter with a mission to be available everywhere for everything. Consumers can pay with Klarna online, in-store and through Apple Pay & Google Pay. More than 966,000 retailers trust Klarna’s innovative solutions to drive growth and loyalty, including Uber, H&M, Saks, Sephora, Macy’s, Ikea, Expedia Group, Nike and Airbnb. Klarna is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: KLAR). For more information, visit Klarna.com.
About Stripe
Stripe is a technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Businesses of every size—from new startups to public companies—use our software to accept payments and manage their businesses online. Stripe has dual headquarters in San Francisco and Dublin, as well as offices in London, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, and other locations around the world.
