Payment Expert’s Fintech Unwrapped delivers the latest developing news that has shaped the sector over the course of the last week.
This week, Klarna is aiming to bring a competitive membership card programme to the market after announcing a new four-tier system backed by several significant perk upgrades.
Also this week, PPRO is testing how agentic commerce can be used for local European payment methods, Airwallex has brought Affirm to US shoppers, Corpay has launched a new AI assistant, and Paysafe’s digital wallet lands in a new European market.
Klarna brings out competitive edge to membership cards
Klarna has announced a significant upgrade to its membership card programme to provide customers with competitive benefits and alternatives to traditional credit cards.
The programme revamp is segmented into four-tiered memberships: Everywhere, Plus, Premium and Max. The entry-level “Everywhere” tier allows users to make fee-free purchases anywhere Visa is accepted for a small monthly cost.
The Premium tiers offer perks such as global travel insurance, international eSIM data, and complimentary airport lounge access. The top-tier “Max” plan includes cancel-for-any-reason protection for trips and live events, alongside premium metal cards and exclusive mobile plans for UK users.
Among the primary benefits of Klarna’s upgraded cards is the 1.5% cashback available on every purchase. Klarna is also offering subscription memberships to NordVPN, the New York Times and more
Klarna CEO and Co-Founder, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, said: “This is the democratisation of banking perks. You shouldn’t have to commit for a year and take out a credit card to get cashback and premium benefits. A Klarna membership is flexible, transparent, doesn’t depend on debt, and dollar for dollar, there’s nothing in Europe that even comes close on value.
PPRO to test BLIK’s agentic payment capabilities
PPRO is partnering with BLIK to develop agentic commerce capabilities for local payments in Poland, with the aim of connecting BLIK with the growing agentic ecosystem.
PPRO will provide the infrastructure that enables local payment schemes, which will introduce one of the world’s first local payment method implementations for agent-initiated transactions.
The collaboration will provide a blueprint for expanding agentic payments across additional local payment methods in Europe and Latin America.
By connecting merchants to emerging AI commerce ecosystems while enabling consumers to continue paying with the local payment methods they already know and trust, PPRO aims to build a more “open, interoperable, and trusted” future for localised payments by leveraging AI.
Motie Bring, CEO at PPRO, said: “BLIK’s agility and market scale have allowed us to quickly build a framework for agent-initiated transactions in Poland. Through this initiative, PPRO is demonstrating how local payment methods can – and will – power the future of AI commerce.”
Airwallex adds Affirms BNPL’s options for US customers
Airwallex announced that merchants using its services can now provide Affirm‘s buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) payment options at checkout to eligible US customers.
Airwallex merchants based in 35 countries can offer Affirm’s pay-over-time options to eligible shoppers in the US, without additional integration. Affirm does not charge late or hidden fees, and shows shoppers what they will pay upfront.
Jason Gottlieb, VP Financial and Strategic Partnerships at Airwallex, said: “Merchants choose Airwallex to maximise local payment options for shoppers around the world, otherwise, they’re leaving conversion on the table. We’re thrilled to partner with Affirm and provide its familiar and transparent payment options to help our international merchants drive more US sales.”
For merchants, Airwallex stated that US shoppers offering Affirm can help support higher conversion and basket sizes, as merchants can add to the 160 payment methods that Airwallex offer.
Steve McPhee, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Affirm, said: “Our partnership with Airwallex unlocks that by making it easier for merchants to offer Affirm through a platform they already use, helping them reach US shoppers with a payment option they know and trust.”
Corpay’s new AI assistant to automate and boost financial transparency
Corpay announced the launch of an AI-powered Virtual Assistant to assist finance teams seeking to spend clearly and move tasks forward faster.
The Virtual Assistant lets finance teams ask questions in their preferred language about card spend, expenses, supplier payments and approvals, then surfaces the reports, tasks and information without searching through the platform.
Some of the benefits include: surface card spend by department, merchant or month, expense reports waiting for approval, and identify card transactions that are missing receipts.
Piero Macari, Vice President of Products at Corpay, said: “Finance teams don’t need more information. They need quicker access to the information that matters.
“With the Virtual Assistant, finance teams can ask a question in plain language and find exactly what they need, whether that’s a report, a spend pattern or an approval task, without digging through the platform. It’s a practical step that helps people stay in control while spending less time searching and more time acting.”
Paysafe’s digital wallet lands in Poland
Paysafe has expanded its digital wallet to Poland, adding to the 600,000 European customers that use PaysafeWallet.
With PaysafeWallet, customers can top up with cash, send money to friends in seconds, pay at their preferred store or restaurant, spend online, send and receive bank transfers, or withdraw cash whenever it is needed. Customers receive a personal payment account with an IBAN and a virtual debit card.
Existing PaysafeCard account holders can also click on the Wallet tab to gain access to PaysafeWallet, while new customers can download the PaysafeCard app for Android or iOS and sign up.
Bob Legters, Paysafe’s Chief Product Officer, said: “Young consumers in Poland are digital natives and expect their money to move as fast as they do.
“PaysafeWallet gives them something that feels made for them: their own debit card on their phone, the freedom to pay, send and spend however they want, and the reassurance that cash is still an option when they need it. We’re really excited about what we’re building for this generation.
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