There is a key fact to confirm before deciding to adopt this method. Sofort is not an independent payment method but a Klarna-owned brand, and its bank-transfer functionality is being integrated into 'Pay Now by Klarna.' For merchants newly entering Italy, it is therefore more practical to secure a transfer-based option within a Klarna contract than to integrate Sofort on its own. Italy is a market where government cashless policy is accelerating the shift to account- and card-based digital payments, but it should also be noted that Sofort's user base is concentrated in German-speaking countries, giving it limited reach within Italy.

For merchants targeting Italy alongside Germany and Austria as part of a shared European payment mix, Sofort-style bank transfers remain a useful secondary channel for reaching customers without cards. If your target is the Italian market alone, we recommend first reviewing an integrated adoption that includes buy-now-pay-later and installments on the Klarna page.

The consumer logs in with their online-banking credentials and authorizes a transfer, after which the merchant receives immediate payment confirmation; this functionality is currently being absorbed into the 'Pay Now' option within the Klarna checkout screen. Hecto Financial collects the authorized euro (EUR) funds, converts the currency, and settles to the Korean merchant in USD, KRW, or JPY as chosen under the contract.

Because Sofort is a brand being integrated into Klarna, Hecto Financial guides new merchants toward securing a transfer-based option within the scope of a Klarna integration. Details such as the terms for maintaining or migrating an existing Sofort integration should be confirmed with the sales team before contracting.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility as a merchant registered in Korea

• Sales channels

  The integration approach and priority differ depending on your online sales channel mix, such as owned storefronts, marketplaces, or mobile apps

• Product categories

  Confirm in advance whether your products fall under categories restricted by the Sofort operator's merchant policy

• EU regulatory compliance

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

The settlement structure is the same as for other Klarna-family methods. Hecto Financial collects funds in euro (EUR), converts the currency, and settles domestically to Korea in the contracted currency (USD, KRW, or JPY), on a cycle set by the contract terms. Because bank-transfer payments have no chargeback process, unlike cards, refunds are processed as merchant-initiated reverse transfers, so you should define the operating process from refund-request intake through to the actual transfer in advance.

• Bank of Italy (Banca d'Italia)Official information on Italy's payment systems and related regulations. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.