NOS Nieuws•
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Gidi Pols
Economy editor
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Bart Kamphuis
Economy reporter
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Gidi Pols
Economy editor
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Bart Kamphuis
Economy reporter
Swedish fintech company Klarna may be violating the law, according to experts who have reviewed the company’s practices. The firm is not registered with the required national registry.
The issue concerns the debt collection registry, where debt collection agencies and other service providers are legally obligated to register in order to collect funds from individuals. Klarna is not currently listed, yet continues to send payment reminders, as evidenced by responses to parliamentary questions from last week.
Performing debt collection activities without registration has been an economic offense since April 1, 2025. The Justice and Security Inspectorate is responsible for ensuring companies comply with debt collection laws.
The inspectorate has been aware of Klarna’s practices since at least July of last year, when debt expert André Moerman of website Schuldinfo.nl reported the potential violation, according to documents reviewed by the news organization.
Despite this notification, Klarna continued to send payment reminders.
In August, Klarna sent a payment reminder for an order exceeding 1000 euros at CheapTickets. The email was sent at 10:56 PM. At that time, Klarna was not registered with the debt collection registry.
“This constitutes two violations,” says Moerman. “The company is not authorized to send payment reminders without registration, and it is also prohibited from contacting debtors after 8:00 PM. Both violations are subject to fines.”
“The law is clear. Klarna is committing an economic offense if it is not registered as an extrajudicial debt collection agency,” says Marco Loos, professor of consumer law at the University of Amsterdam. “The violation has been ongoing since April 1, 2024. It would not be surprising if the supervisory authority or the Public Prosecution Service were to take action against such a clear violation.”
Demissionary State Secretary Arno Rutte (Justice and Security) is aware of Klarna’s practices. “Yes, I am aware of the sending of such payment reminders,” he responded to parliamentary questions last week, which had previously gone unnoticed.
Investigation Ongoing
Rutte also acknowledges that Klarna ‘in principle’ should be registered. And: “Klarna is not currently listed in the debt collection registry as of the time these questions are answered.”
However, he refrains from stating that Klarna is violating the law. Rutte: “I would like to emphasize that it is up to the Justice and Security Inspectorate to determine whether the company meets the obligations stipulated by the law, and not to me.”
The inspectorate does not comment on any potential action against Klarna. “We cannot produce statements about individual companies,” a spokesperson emailed. “Nor can we say anything in the context of ongoing investigations and gathering evidence.”
Time Needed
Klarna states that it needed time to fully understand how the debt collection law applies to the company. “We recognize that this took too long and that we should have acted faster,” a spokesperson emailed. “Our application for the debt collection registry is now complete and will be submitted in the coming days.”
Received a payment reminder from Klarna? Contact the newsroom: [email protected]
