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SOFORT

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The GoCardless content team comprises a group of subject-matter experts in multiple fields from across GoCardless. The authors and reviewers work in the sales, marketing, legal, and finance departments. All have in-depth knowledge and experience in various aspects of payment scheme technology and the operating rules applicable to each. The team holds expertise in the well-established payment schemes such as UK Direct Debit, the European SEPA scheme, and the US ACH scheme, as well as in schemes operating in Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand. See full bio

Last editedJan 2020

SOFORT is an online direct payment method, which uses online banking to initiate instant bank transfers.


Payment type	Bank transfer
Description	SOFORT is an online direct payment method, which uses online banking to initiate instant bank transfers. It is popular in countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. The company was acquired by Klarna in 2014.
Currency	€ (Euro)
Key markets	Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Slovakia
Key fact	More 35,000 shops use SOFORT to collect payments.
Payment use case	eCommerce, One-off transactions
Benefits	Real-time
Considerations	Customers are directed away during the checkout flow. Designed for one-off payments.
Example merchants	Skype, Footlocker, Eventbrite
Additional facts + figures	On average, 3 million SOFORT transactions are made every month.