Klarna vs Visa: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Klarna reported $3.5B of revenue in FY2025 and a net loss of $273M. Visa reported $40B of revenue in FY2025 and $20.1B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Klarna
Klarna's revenue grew from $2.28 billion in 2023 to $2.81 billion in 2024 and $3.51 billion in 2025, according to its 2025 Form 20-F. Net income swung from a $244 million loss in 2023 to a $21 million profit in 2024, then back to a $273 million loss in 2025, even as adjusted operating profit reached $65 million. Q4 2025 was its first billion-dollar quarter at $1.082 billion of revenue on $38.7 billion of GMV. In Q2 2026, revenue rose 27% to $1.042 billion, transaction margin dollars rose 42% to $446 million and net income was $9 million, against a $53 million loss a year earlier. The market cap was about $5.2 billion in late September 2026, well below the roughly $15 billion valuation at its September 2025 IPO.
Visa
Visa's fiscal year ends September 30. Fiscal 2025 net revenue was USD 40.0 billion, up 11% from USD 35.9 billion in fiscal 2024, and GAAP net income was USD 20.1 billion. Growth continued in fiscal 2026: in the third quarter (April to June 2026) net revenue rose 14% to USD 11.6 billion, quarterly payments volume passed USD 4 trillion for the first time, and Visa returned USD 6.2 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Fiscal 2026 full-year results are due in late October 2026.
Revenue and profit by year
Klarna
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $3.5B | -$273M | -7.8% | +24.8% | Source |
| FY2024 | $2.8B | $21M | 0.7% | +23.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | $2.3B | -$244M | -10.7% | — | Source |
Visa
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $40B | $20.1B | 50.1% | +11.3% | Source |
| FY2024 | $35.9B | $19.7B | 55.0% | +10.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $32.7B | $17.3B | 52.9% | +11.4% | Source |
| FY2022 | $29.3B | $15B | 51.0% | +21.6% | Source |
| FY2021 | $24.1B | $12.3B | 51.1% | +10.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $21.8B | $10.9B | 49.7% | -4.9% | Source |
| FY2019 | $23B | $12.1B | 52.6% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2018 | $20.6B | $10.3B | 50.0% | +12.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $18.4B | $6.7B | 36.5% | +21.7% | Source |
| FY2016 | $15.1B | $6B | 39.7% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Klarna
- Merchant fees
Not formally reported
Fees charged to merchants on Klarna transactions; the largest source of revenue.
- Consumer interest and fees
Not formally reported
Interest on Fair Financing and other credit products, plus late fees where permitted.
- Card and memberships
Not formally reported
Interchange from the Klarna Card and subscription revenue from Memberships, which grew more than 600% in Q2 2026.
- Advertising and other
Not formally reported
Sponsored placements and affiliate revenue in the Klarna app.
Visa
- Service revenue
- Data processing revenue
- International transaction revenue
- Value-added services
- Visa Direct
- Fraud and risk tools
Business model and strategy
Klarna
How it makes money
Klarna earns money on both sides of a purchase. Merchants pay Klarna a fee on each transaction because offering installments tends to lift conversion and basket size; Klarna pays the merchant upfront and carries the repayment risk (its published US standard rate for Pay in 4 has been 3.29% plus $0.30).
Growth strategy
Klarna calls itself an 'everyday finance network'. The strategy has three parts: distribution through large acquirers and platforms (J.P. Morgan Payments went live in August 2026), higher-frequency products such as the Klarna Card and paid Memberships (2 million subscribers in Q2 2026, eight times a year earlier), and higher-yield lending such as Fair Financing, which 256,000 merchants offered by Q2 2026.
Competitive advantage
Klarna's edge is scale and funding. It reaches more than 120 million active consumers and over 1.2 million merchants in 26 markets, and distribution deals with payment platforms such as J.P. Morgan Payments, Stripe and Adyen switch Klarna on for merchants without a new integration.
Visa
How it makes money
Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders. Its reported revenue lines are service revenue (based on payments volume), data processing revenue (based on transactions authorized, cleared and settled over VisaNet), international transaction revenue (cross-border and currency conversion activity) and other revenue, including value-added services such as fraud and…
Growth strategy
Visa's growth strategy is to expand credentials, increase digital acceptance, grow cross-border and e-commerce volume, sell more value-added services, scale Visa Direct, support tap-to-pay and tokenized commerce, and embed Visa capabilities inside fintech and banking platforms.
Competitive advantage
Visa's moat is a three-sided network effect. Consumers use Visa because merchants accept it, merchants accept Visa because consumers carry it, and banks issue Visa credentials because both sides already participate. The company also has fraud data, global rules, brand trust, dispute standards, token infrastructure, and bank relationships built across decades. A competitor cannot simply copy the software;
Questions about Klarna vs Visa
Which company has higher revenue — Klarna Group plc or Visa Inc.?
Klarna Group plc reported $3.5B (FY2025), while Visa Inc. reported $40.0B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Visa Inc. is the larger business, with Klarna Group plc reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Klarna Group plc vs Visa Inc.?
Klarna Group plc's market capitalisation stands at $5.2B, while Visa Inc.'s is $676.0B. Visa Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Klarna Group plc.
Which is more financially efficient — Klarna Group plc or Visa Inc.?
Klarna Group plc generates $1.24M / employee in revenue per employee, while Visa Inc. generates $1.17M / employee. Klarna Group plc shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Klarna Group plc and Visa Inc. make money?
Klarna Group plc and Visa Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Klarna Group plc: Klarna earns money on both sides of a purchase. Visa Inc.: Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Klarna Group plc or Visa Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Klarna Group plc trades at 1.5x P/S and Visa Inc. at 16.9x P/S. Visa Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Klarna Group plc. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Klarna Group plc bigger than Visa Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Visa Inc. ($40.0B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Klarna Group plc ($3.5B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Klarna vs Visa overview