'Buy now, pay later' giant Klarna debuts stablecoin on Stripe-backed Tempo blockchain
Klarna shifts strategy as fintechs race to cut cross-border payment costs and expand digital asset adoption.
Key Takeaways
- Klarna has launched its own payment stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, on Stripe's blockchain to streamline cross-border payments.
- The stablecoin aims to cut costs for consumers and merchants while expanding Klarna's services into crypto and international payments.
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Klarna, the Swedish “buy now, pay later” fintech giant, is entering the stablecoin space with the launch of KlarnaUSD on Tempo, a Stripe-built blockchain, the company announced on Tuesday.
Introducing KlarnaUSD, our first @Stablecoin.
We’re the first bank to launch on @tempo, the payments blockchain by @stripe and @paradigm.
With stablecoin transactions already at $27T a year, we’re bringing faster, cheaper cross-border payments to our 114M customers.
Crypto is…
— Klarna (@Klarna) November 25, 2025
The rollout is aimed at streamlining international payments and reducing costs for both consumers and merchants as stablecoins help bypass intermediaries such as the SWIFT network.
At launch, Klarna’s stablecoin will serve internal payment processes, with expansion to merchant and consumer use expected in the future.
The latest development comes after Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced in February that the fintech giant would embrace crypto. Siemiatkowski said at the time that Klarna was preparing to integrate crypto services and invited the community to weigh in on potential features.
