Apple Pay and Google Pay are popular digital wallets that allow using many different payment cards from a single point on a mobile device. The global user base for these is approaching 1 billion. More people even leave their wallets at home and only rely on their smartphones for payments.

Taking this wallet functionality to the next level, Curve goes beyond storing cards digitally and works to enhance payments by means of new features, enabling reduced fees or additional rewards. 6 million customers have signed up for Curve so far. 

Ahead of the Pay360 conference, Martin Wallraff, Director at Payments Consulting Network, sat down with Shachar Bialick, Founder and CEO of Curve, to discuss his company’s journey, its innovations, and its David against Goliath battle, taking on Apple. 

Read the full interview below. 

Martin Walraff: To kick things off, could you introduce yourself and give us an overview of Curve? 

Shachar Bialick: I’m Shachar Bialick, the Founder and CEO of Curve. I started Curve back in 2015, and in May it will mark 10 years since we began. The core idea behind Curve was to address the fragmentation that occurred as the banking market started to unbundle. We saw new fintechs offering faster, cheaper, and better services, leading to a more fragmented market. The question we faced was: What will the future “operating system” for money look like? Would it be a single fintech like Revolut or a wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay? 

Our conclusion was that the future would not be one bank, but a wallet that could offer users access to multiple financial services and products in one place. That is why we developed Curve – to create an ecosystem that allows people to manage their finances, discover new services, and ultimately optimise their money in a convenient, seamless way. We have now grown to over 6 million customers across Europe and the UK and partner with companies like Samsung, PayPal, and Huawei.

MW: That is a great introduction. Can you tell us more about your personal background and how you came to found Curve? 

SB: I have always been an entrepreneur. Straight after my military service in Israel, I started my first startup with friends from my unit. Since then, I have founded and sold multiple companies in fields like telecommunications and medical cannabis. The thread through all of them was identifying a gap in the market and using technology to create more efficient solutions for customers.

After selling my fourth company Smart EQ, I took a year off to pursue an MBA and then moved to London. It was in London that I joined a company that was still small at the time called checkout.com, where I worked on developing acquiring gateway technology. But the idea for Curve had been with me since 2006, and in 2015, the moment was right to create something in the payments space. That is when I started working on Curve. 

MW: You mentioned being an entrepreneur; some people see different types of CEOs. What kind of leader and CEO are you? 

SB: A good leader is always inspiring, authentic, transparent, and predictable. I believe there are two main types of CEOs: operational CEOs and product CEOs. As a product CEO, I am much more focused on the customer and delivering great products. I am deeply involved in making sure that Curve offers the best user experience, but I also rely on my COO to handle the operational side – things like managing people, overseeing P&L, and running the day-to-day systems of the company. 

MW: Let us dive into Curve’s product and plans for the next year. You have been ramping up your U.S. operations, and I understand there is a major opportunity with the opening of Apple Pay’s NFC functionality. Can you tell us more about this? 

SB: Sure. Over the past years, we have been developing Curve Pay, which allows customers to set Curve as their default wallet and manage all their financial products in one place. This eliminates the need to carry multiple cards or load money into a single platform like Revolut or Monzo. It is a similar wallet experience to Apple Pay or Google Pay. However, we now offer additional benefits like Go Back in Time, where users can move past purchases between accounts, or Killer FX, where customers can pay abroad with zero foreign exchange fees. 

The launch of Curve Pay is the big milestone this year. It all became possible thanks to Apple’s agreement to open NFC functionality to third parties in Europe, after an investigation from the European Commission. We have been working with the European Commission since 2020 to push for this, and it is a huge win for us. Internally, we called this Project Elah, based on the Elah Valley where David fought Goliath, and won. We are launching Curve Pay in beta for Android soon and plan to release it on iOS thereafter. This will allow customers to use Curve as their default wallet, just like Apple Pay or Google Pay. Another challenge we had is that pass-through wallets lack access to data and therefore the ability to provide personalised recommendations. 

MW: That is a huge step. What is your long-term vision for Curve? 

SB: Our long-term vision has always been to create a financial marketplace – what we call the operating system for money. Rather than competing with traditional banks, we want to give users the flexibility to access financial products from multiple providers in a seamless way. Our recent products like Curve Flex, which lets users split purchases into instalments, reflect this vision. 

Unlike other fintechs that offer first-party products, Curve is not trying to replace banks. We work alongside banks and other financial service providers to create an ecosystem that benefits customers. Our goal is to continue growing and adding more third-party products to our marketplace, giving users more choice and flexibility. 

MW: You mentioned your core customer earlier. Is Curve primarily targeting consumers who are optimisers – those who juggle multiple cards for rewards and cashback? 

SB: Optimisers were our initial target audience. These are people actively managing their finances to maximise rewards, minimise borrowing costs, or optimise cash flow. However, as Curve has grown, we have expanded our audience. Today, we attract a broader range of users, including people who are looking for simplicity and convenience in managing multiple financial products. 

Our typical customer is financially savvy, with a fairly complex or fragmented financial life. They could be expats, senior professionals, or people who travel frequently. Our customer base tends to be older than the typical Revolut or Monzo user – with a median age of 31 – and they are often at a stage in life where they are starting families or managing both personal and business finances. Our customers come to Curve because of its convenience and seamless customer experience and because they do not need to change banks, yet get all the value that fintechs provide, like better experience and lower fees. 

MW: That sounds like a very promising target audience that actually includes myself. Finally, what are you most looking forward to at Pay360? 

SB: I have been attending Pay360 for 7 years, and what I like a lot about the conference is that you really see people coming from the deep end of the payment space, real experts. And because they are so deep in the payment space, you usually get to learn a lot and hear different perspectives. I look forward to listening to some of the keynotes. It is a great chance to hear about the latest innovations in identity, regulation, and payments technology. 

MW: Thank you so much for your time today, Shachar. It was a pleasure speaking with you! 

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Shachar Bialick is speaking at Pay360, which will be held in London from 25-26 March 2025. He is one of the panellists on Day 1 Keynote panel debate – Are wallets going to win? together with Cardaq CEO, Hugo Remi and Lloyds Banking Group Everyday Banking Director Helen Bierton. The panel will be moderated by David Parker, Lead Ambassador, The Payments Association. Access the full agenda here. 

Payments Consulting Network is a media partner for the conference. Visit the official conference page for more information. Less than a week to go! You can still get your tickets here.  

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Author: Martin Wallraff, Director, London, Payments Consulting Network  

Martin brings over 18 years of experience in financial services strategy consulting, both with external consultants and internal strategy teams. For the past decade, he has specialized in payments, fintech, and transaction banking, advising clients on strategy, market entry, product development, and cost management. His extensive international expertise includes leading projects worldwide and residing in various locations across Europe and Southeast Asia. 

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