At the FTT Embedded Finance & Super-Apps event last month, one message stood out clearly: customers no longer just want fast credit-they want certainty before they even apply.

Marc O’Fathaigh, Country Manager UK & Ireland, Klarna, shared his perspective on the shifting landscape of customer expectations and where the next wave of opportunity lies. With 12 million UK shoppers interacting with Klarna regularly, the signals are hard to ignore. The traditional credit journey, apply, wait, and risk rejection at the final step, is quickly losing favour. Customer increasingly want to know their purchasing power before they reach checkout, the prequalification power before they reach checkout, and pre-qualification is quickly emerging as the next battleground.  At the sametime, as personalisation becomes standard across e-commerce, lenders are under pressure to deliver tailored decisions, without sacrificing trust or transparency.

Klarna’s approach reflects that balance. Rather than relying on AI-driven underwriting, the business is doubling down on rich data, product-level insights, and consistent credit check to ensure decisions remain explainable and fair. Looking ahead, opportunities are also starting to extend beyond traditional retail, particularly into areas like travel and everyday services where access to flexible credit is still developing. Alongside this, in-store payments continue to represent an area of untapped potential.

Watch the full interview to explore these trend in more detail:

For your next opportunity to learn about embedding payments, lending, insurance, and more into customer journeys, join the FTT Embedded Finance stage at the FTT Fintech Festival on 9th – 10th November.