The facts should be established first. Sofort was acquired by Klarna in 2014 and is currently undergoing brand integration into Pay Now by Klarna, so its significance as a new independent-brand adoption is diminishing. Moreover, in Belgium, Bancontact already absorbs demand for account-linked payments as the default, making this a market with limited standalone value for Sofort, unlike Germany and Austria, where it was once strong.

If you are considering new adoption now, it makes more sense to first review the Klarna page, which covers pay-later and installments within the same contract, rather than Sofort alone. Since local transfer-based demand in Belgium is handled by Bancontact, Sofort is a supplementary option to consider only when German-speaking customers make up a meaningful share.

Sofort-style payment is a bank-transfer method in which the consumer logs in with their own online banking credentials to approve the transfer. However, since it is currently being absorbed into the Pay Now option within Klarna checkout, new integrations are generally set up as part of the Klarna payment option rather than Sofort alone. The approved euro proceeds are received by Hecto Financial and then move into the settlement process.

A Korean corporation can consider this through Hecto Financial without a separate local contract in Belgium, but because the method is in the midst of integration, the scope and form of new integration (including configuration as a Klarna option) should be confirmed against the latest support standards at the time of consultation. Settlement cycle, fees, and currency options likewise vary by contract terms.

• Business registration country

  Confirm whether a contract is possible on the basis of a Korean business entity

• Sales channels

  The integration method and priority differ depending on your online sales channel mix, such as your own mall, open marketplaces, or mobile apps

• Product categories

  Advance confirmation is needed as to whether your category falls under restricted industries per the Sofort operator's merchant policy

• EU regulatory compliance

  Confirm compliance with EU payment regulations such as PSD2 and SEPA (see official sources below)

Once a transaction is completed, the euro (EUR) proceeds are received by Hecto Financial and, after conversion, settled to the Korean merchant in USD, KRW, or JPY as specified in the contract. Since it is bank-transfer-based, there are no chargebacks, but refunds are processed as a separate return remittance, and refund obligations under EU consumer protection rules, such as the 14-day withdrawal right, apply the same regardless of the payment brand. Contract terms and settlement cycle following the Klarna integration should be confirmed against the latest standards during consultation.

• National Bank of BelgiumOfficial source for supervision and statistics on Belgium's payment system. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.