Last month, we closed the doors on the Community page, moving the conversation to a wider audience across our social channels. We promised it wouldn’t be the last you heard from us. 

And we meant that. We promised a monthly newsletter that would give everyone more insider access to the team, the product, and our plans for the future. The Curve Report is your monthly drop on everything Curve, guided by what you want to hear. We recently took to Twitter to ask you what you wanted us to talk about. And there was one word that came up again and again.

... and again. 

ROADMAP.

The big 3

The roadmap for Curve is a long and winding one. We want to be as transparent as possible with you. But we also don’t want to promise benefits and features long before you can actually experience them in real life. So let’s start with the big 3 we’re working on right now. That you can expect to see very very soon. 

1. The Curve app is getting a facelift 📱

We’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t get by on our sparkling personality anymore. The app is getting a makeover, and if we’re being really honest, it’s long overdue. Introducing Launchpad! But it’s more than just a pretty face. It’s a much faster and easier way to access your account, settings and all the benefits you get from Cure. The Launchpad also gets us closer to our vision of making Curve the ultimate financial marketplace  –  a portal to the best third-party apps and services, accessed directly from your Curve app. Want to save money? We’ll have the best app for that.  Want to invest your extra cash – we’ll have an app for that too. 

2. We’re working on a top secret partnership 🤐

Like really big. But we can’t say any more than that for now. NDAs have been signed. Pinkies have been promised. It’s a whole thing. 

What we can say is that the partnership will give you even more choice when it comes to the way you pay. And will be a key accelerator for growth over the next year. When we DO break our silence – you’ll hear it here first. 

3. Curve Credit cards are coming  💳

Curve is the most private and secure way to pay.  But because it’s a debit card, you do have to let go of your regulated Section 75 protection when using a credit Card to pay with Curve. Our Customer Protection Policy is similar to Section 75 (and in some ways, better), but it still isn’t the same as regulatory mandated protection. And for some, Section 75 is just too important to sacrifice. So we’ve built Curve credit cards.  This will ensure that all your purchases are covered under Section 75, even if your selected payment card is a debit card. Plus, it will allow you to use Curve to secure bookings which require a credit card, like hotels and rental car companies. 

But, this is Curve, so of course it won't be just like any other credit card. It will be a credit card with superpowers, allowing you to split past transactions into instalments. Imagine Curve Flex, but as another funding source in your Curve Wallet.

Long term vision

Like we said earlier, we don't want to promise new benefits before they're essentially on standby, ready to go live. So here's a snapshot of some of the features you've been asking about, that are a bit further down the roadmap.

Smart Rules will get smarter 

A lot of you have asked for this, And one day, you will absolutely be able to match cards to specific retailers with Smart Rules. That is not a pipe dream. It’s very much in the pipeline and work has already begun. But you’re not gonna love what we have to say next… we can’t give you an exact date yet. 

Eventually, you'll be able to discover the best Smart Rules for you based on your wallet.  So you have a real co-pilot with you making sure you're making the smartest choice with every tap.

Curve Cast 

Imagine being able to lend out the cards in your wallet to friends, family or colleagues, whenever you wanted? You could control how much they spend on your card, and see exactly where they’re spending. Curve Cast will allow you to do just that. You’ll be able to set limits on how much the recipient can spend on your card on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. You’ll be able to limit the number of purchases they can make, and the kinds of purchases they can make e.g. giving your nanny £50 a week to cover groceries, or older children £30 a month to cover their bus to school.  You will be able to revoke access at any time with just a tap. Curve Cast is still in its infancy, and we haven’t moved beyond the research phase as other matters took priority this past year. But we’re really excited to put Curve Cast back on the roadmap in 2023. 

Virtual cards 

Demand for virtual cards is increasing – understandable given the concerning rise in online scams in recent years. We want to offer virtual cards on Curve and aim to get it further up the roadmap this year. The real magic will happen when you can start combining features like Curve Cast and virtual cards to create your own personalised Curve superpowers. For example,  topping up a virtual card to share with a family member to control their weekly budget. 

Changing cashback retailers 

A number of you have asked for the ability to change your selected cashback retailers more frequently. We hear you. The retailers you selected months ago may no longer reflect the way you shop today. And as premium customers, we agree there should be a bit more wiggle room when it comes to changing your cashback retailers.  We’re working on finding a fair solution that gives premium customers more flexibility around their selected retailers in a way that still makes sustainable business sense for Curve and its partners. We’re also continuously working on adding more retailers to the list. Let us know in the comments what brands or retailers you’d like to see added. 

What the future holds 

To the one person who asked if we’d survive the year  – it’s actually a fair question. The waters have been rough across both the tech and finance space. But we’re strong swimmers, and thrilled to be in the position we’re in today. Profitability is within sight, there’s plenty of gas in the tank and we’re going full speed ahead into the next phase of growth. 

That’s all for this month. Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next. And catch us on Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and Linkedin for the latest updates.