A Swedish court has mandated that Google pay Klarna nearly $2 billion in damages related to antitrust violations.

      A Swedish court has mandated that Google pay Klarna’s PriceRunner subsidiary over 14 billion kronor for unlawfully favoring its own comparison shopping service in search results. This decision, made by the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm on Tuesday, marks the highest competition damages award in Swedish history. Judge Linda Kullberg referred to it as the largest competition damages award ever issued in a Swedish case.

      Klarna estimates the total award to be nearly two billion dollars once interest is factored in. PriceRunner initially filed a lawsuit in 2022, seeking around two billion euros in compensation for lost earnings in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. The claim surged to about 78 billion kronor when interest accrued, although the court dismissed most of this amount.

      The case is based on a 2017 finding by the European Commission that determined Google misused its search dominance by consistently prioritizing its Google Shopping service over independent price comparison websites. PriceRunner contended that it experienced a decline in traffic and revenue in the UK since 2008 and in Sweden and Denmark from 2013, when Google started directing users to its own results. The trial occurred from October to December 2025.

      Google stated it disagrees with the ruling and will "consider its legal options," with an appeal being widely anticipated. Pontus Scherp, a lawyer for Klarna, mentioned to Reuters that the appeals process may take "over a year and likely years," suggesting that any payment is still far off.

      In response to the news, markets reacted swiftly: Klarna shares rose over seven percent, while Alphabet's stock fell slightly by less than half a percent. Even if the award stands after an appeal, Klarna has informed investors that the net amount will be diminished due to arrangements with former PriceRunner shareholders and the external litigation funder that supported the case, as well as applicable taxes.

      This ruling contributes to a growing pattern of antitrust costs faced by Google across Europe. Earlier this year, a German court ordered Google to pay €465 million to Idealo and €107 million to Producto for similar self-preferencing actions. Ongoing claims from Kelkoo and Foundem in the UK, along with a nearly three billion euro claim by Moltiply Group in Italy, point to a consistent trend of alleged abuse.

      These private damage claims add to regulatory fines that already exceed nine billion euros. In 2017, the European Commission fined Google approximately two and a half billion euros regarding Google Shopping, a penalty that was upheld by the EU's highest court in 2024. Two additional EU antitrust cases related to Android and AdSense further increased this total.

      Klarna acquired PriceRunner in 2022 and has since enhanced its price comparison database to include over 100 million products across 13 markets. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange last year and has integrated PriceRunner’s data into its shopping app. Dan Greaves, Klarna’s head of communications and policy, stated that the ruling promotes what he describes as a healthier and more competitive market for comparing products and services.

      For Google, the emerging pattern is increasingly clear. Courts and regulators across multiple continents are converging on the same conclusion: giving preference to its own services entails significant costs, and these costs continue to escalate.