Klarna, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) finance giant, is setting up a new British holding company as it clears the path to a stock market flotation that could value it at more than $15bn (£12.1bn).
Sky News has learnt that the Stockholm-based consumer credit provider has informed investors it has kicked off preparatory work ahead of a listing expected to be launched as soon as the first half of next year.
City sources said this weekend that Klarna, which employs about 5,000 people and boasts 150 million customers globally, would be ready to float within months if market conditions were accommodating.
Its founder and chief executive Sebastian Siemiatkowski said in August that three key conditions – becoming established in the US, having a sustainable business model and significant growth potential – for an initial public offering (IPO) had been met.
Third-quarter results to be released on Monday are expected to show continued progress towards annual profitability, according to insiders.
The administrative decision has been taken to reflect the UK’s standing from a legal, regulatory and capital markets perspective, they added.
The incorporation of the new holding company does not, however, mean that Klarna will necessarily decide to float in London.
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Many bankers and investors expect it to choose New York to list instead, in what would be perceived as another blow to the City’s prestige following the US listing of ARM Holdings, the chip designer.
In a statement issued to Sky News this weekend, a Klarna spokesman said: “We have initiated a process for a legal entity restructuring to set up a UK holding company as an important early step on a journey towards an eventual IPO.
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“This is an administrative change that has been in the works for over 12 months and does not affect anyone’s roles, nor Klarna’s Swedish operations.
“Klarna Holding will continue to be the regulated financial holding company under the direct supervision of the SFSA [Swedish financial regulator] and we will continue to hold a Swedish banking licence.
“This entity would be registered in the UK.”
Image: Klarna boasts 150 million customers globally
Klarna was forced to slash its valuation to $6.7bn (£5.4bn) in a funding round last year, having once been valued at $46bn (£37.2bn) and drawn backing from investors such as SoftBank’s Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital and Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund.
Bankers believe that based on a comparison with New York-listed peer Affirm Holdings, Klarna should attract an IPO valuation of between $15bn and $20bn (£16.1bn).
Consumer campaign groups responded with fury to the decision, which has yet to be announced by the government.
One industry source said they understood that ministers were preparing to hold talks with BNPL providers about agreeing a series of voluntary measures prior to any legislative changes being introduced.
This week, the Financial Conduct Authority said it had secured contract changes for BNPL customers after an explosion in the use of such products.
Research published by the City watchdog showed that 27% of adults – roughly 14m people – had used BNPL at least once in the second half of 2023.
‘Proportionate’ regulation
Klarna has previously declared itself in favour of “proportionate” regulation of the sector.
Earlier this year, it said it was “concerned with the suggestion to copy and paste Consumer Credit Act rules on credit agreements, which are outdated and don’t protect or inform consumers”.
“Quite the opposite, they leave consumers confused and, ironically, push them towards expensive and higher-risk forms of credit.
“With BNPL regulation the government has a golden opportunity to be bold and create new rules to give consumers the right information at the right time so they can make informed decisions.”
In May, Klarna launched what it described as Britain’s first “credit opt-out” product to give consumers greater control of their finances.
It said the idea had been suggested by Andrew Griffith, the City minister, during a meeting with Mr Siemiatkowski.
A music video-streaming service whose shareholders include the U2 bassist Adam Clayton will this week announce that it has sealed a management buyout after months of talks.
Sky News understands that the assets of MagicWorks, which trades as ROXi, have been sold to a new company called FastStream Interactive (FSI), with backing from two major US-based broadcasters.
Sources said that Nasdaq-listed Sinclair and New York Stock Exchange-listed Gray Media were among the new shareholders in FSI, with the launch of new interactive TV Channels in the US expected to take place shortly.
The deal, which has involved raising millions of pounds of new equity from new and existing investors, has resulted in previous creditors of the business being repaid in full, according to the sources.
Its search for funding from the US was seen as vital because of the programme to roll out its FastScreen technology.
Founded in 2014, ROXi described itself as the world’s first ‘made-for-television’ service, allowing viewers to stream millions of songs and download hundreds of thousands of karaoke tracks.
Its broadcast channels allow viewers to skip through content in which they have no interest.
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Simon Cowell, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams were among the prominent music industry figures who had previously been named as ROXi investors.
Financiers including Guy Hands and Jim Mellon are said to be part of the new ownership structure.
In response to an enquiry from Sky News, Rob Lewis, FSI chief executive, said: “The new technology, FastStream, will revolutionise broadcast TV.
“For the first time in history, consumers tuning into a normal TV channel will find they automatically start at the beginning of the programme, and that they are able to skip, pause or search, even though they are watching normal broadcast TV”.
Begbies Traynor Group, the professional services firm, and Rockefeller Capital Management advised on the process.
Quintessentially, the luxury concierge service founded by the Queen’s nephew, is in talks to find a buyer months after it warned of “material uncertainty” over its future.
Sky News has learned that the company, which was set up by Sir Ben Elliot and his business partners in 1999, is working with advisers on a process aimed at finding a new owner or investors.
City sources said this weekend that Quintessentially was already in discussions with prospective buyers and was anticipating receipt of a number of firm offers.
Sir Ben, the former Conservative Party co-chairman under Boris Johnson, owns a significant minority stake in the company.
The Quintessentially group operates a number of businesses, although its core activity remains the provision of lifestyle support to high net worth individuals including celebrities, royalty, and leading businesspeople.
It also counts major companies among its clients and offers services such as organising private jet flights and performances by top musicians.
The sale process is being overseen by a firm called Beyond, although further details, including the price that the business might fetch, were unclear on Saturday.
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One insider said parties who had been contacted by Beyond were being offered the option to buy a controlling interest in Quintessentially.
This could be implemented through a combination of the repayment of outstanding loans, an injection of new funding into the business, and the purchase of existing shareholders’ interests, they added.
Quintessentially’s founders, including Sir Ben, are thought to be keen to retain an equity interest in the company after any deal.
In January 2022, newspaper reports suggested that Quintessentially had been put up for sale with a valuation of £140m.
Deloitte, the accountancy firm, was charged with finding a buyer at the time but a transaction failed to materialise.
Sir Ben, who was knighted in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list, turned to one of Quintessentially’s shareholders for financial support during the pandemic.
World Fuel Services, an energy and aviation services company, is owed £15.5m as well as £3.5m in accrued interest, according to one person close to the process.
The loan is said to include a warrant to convert it into equity upon repayment.
Quintessentially does not disclose the number or identities of many of its clients, although it said in annual accounts filed at Companies House in January that it had increased turnover to £29.6m in the year to 30 April 2024.
The accounts suggested the company was seeing growth in demand from clients internationally.
“During the last year, we have not only renewed important corporate contracts like Mastercard, but have also expanded by adding new corporate clients like Swiss4 in the UK, R360 in India, and Visa in the Middle East and South America,” they said.
In its experiences and events division, it won a contract to work with the Red Sea Film Festival and to provide corporate concierge services to the Saudi Premier League.
It added that Allianz, the German insurer, BMW, and South African lender Standard Bank were among other clients with which it had signed contracts.
The accounts included the warning of a “risk that the pace and level at which business returns could be materially less than forecast, requiring the group and company to obtain external funding which may not be forthcoming and therefore this creates material uncertainty that may cast ultimately cast doubt about the … ability to continue as a going concern”.
This weekend, a Quintessentially spokesman declined to comment on the sale process.
Adele, the Grammy award-winning artist, has joined the list of music superstars investing in Audoo, a music technology company which helps artists to receive fairer royalty payments.
Sky News has learnt that the British musician and Adam Clayton, the U2 bassist, have injected money into Audoo as part of a £7m funding round.
The pair join Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus as shareholders in the company.
Changes to Audoo’s share register were filed at Companies House in recent days.
Audoo, which was established by former musician Ryan Edwards, is trying to address the perennial issue of public performance royalties, in order to ensure musicians are rewarded when their work is played in public venues.
Mr Edwards is reported to have been motivated to set up the company after hearing his own music played at football stadia and in bars, without any payment for it.
Estimates suggest that artists lose out on billions of dollars of unaccounted royalties each year.
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London-based Audoo uses a monitoring device – which it calls an Audio Meter – to recognise songs played in public venues, and which is said to have a 99% success rate.
It has struck what it describes as industry-first partnerships with organisations including the music licensing company PPL/PRS to track and report songs played in public performance locations such as cafes, hair salons, shops and gyms.
“At Audoo, we’re incredibly proud of the continued support we’re receiving as we work to make music royalties fairer and more transparent for artists and rights-holders around the world through our pioneering technology,” Mr Edwards told Sky News in a statement on Friday.
“We have successfully reached £7m in our latest funding round.
“This funding marks a pivotal moment for Audoo as we focus on our growth in North America and across Europe, bringing us closer to our mission of revolutionising the global royalty landscape.”
Sources said the new capital would be used partly to finance Audoo’s growth in the US.
The latest funding round takes the total amount of money raised by the company since its launch to more than $30m.
Mr Edwards has spoken of his desire to establish a major presence in Europe and the US because of their status as the world’s biggest recorded music markets.
Adele’s management company did not respond to an enquiry from Sky News.