KLAR vs GDS Comparison

Klarna is the largest pure-play in the buy now, pay later space. The company operates a two-sided network with a payment method at its core, but it is ultimately a lender. Merchants sign up with Klarna to increase turnover in their stores. Primarily, Klarna can provide merchants with higher conversion rates and average order values relative to other payment methods. Some merchants enter a symbiotic relationship with Klarna, advertising its brand on the product page to drive conversion and to benefit from Klarna's brand value in the merchant's sales funnel. Customers use Klarna for its ease of use, quick access to credit, zero-interest financing, and lower reminder fees.

GDS Holdings started as an IT service provider in 2001 then moved to the data center business with its first self-developed data center opening in 2010. The company now develops and operates data centers in China and also builds, operates and transfers data centers for other clients. It offers colocation and managed services and mainly targets hyperscale cloud service customers who take large areas of its data centers or even whole data centers under long-term contracts. Its data centers are located predominantly in and around the Tier 1 cities in China and it has also started an expanding into Southeast Asia via the now 38% owned DayOne. GDS listed on the Nasdaq in 2016 and completed a secondary listing in Hong Kong in 2020.