Curve
Global fintechNo DGS (EMI)Best for: Card aggregationBest for: FX on existing cardsBest for: Rewards
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Wraps your existing cards into one
- FX savings abroad
- go-back-in-time spend switching
Cons
- Not a bank — no €100k deposit guarantee (funds safeguarded)
Rating breakdown
Foreigner onboarding67
USD handling60
Transfers0
Value & fees60
Licence & deposit protection
No DGS (EMI)No DGS — card aggregator, not a deposit account (EMI)
This is an electronic money institution (EMI), not a bank. Funds are safeguarded, but NOT covered by the €100,000 deposit guarantee. Convenient, but legally it isn't a bank deposit.
- Licence
- EMI · Bank of Lithuania
- IBAN
- SEPA Instant
- No
- Verification of Payee (VoP)
- No
Editorial review
Curve runs on an EMI licence: convenient, but your money is safeguarded rather than covered by the €100k deposit guarantee.
It is a global fintech licensed in LT supporting EUR, USD, GBP etc. FX model: Interbank rate on weekdays, weekend surcharge.
It tends to suit card aggregation, fx on existing cards, rewards.
Fees & terms
- Exchange rate
- Interbank rate on weekdays, weekend surcharge
- Card cost
- Free / paid tiers
- Limits
- FX and spend limits by tier
- Cashback
- Rewards on selected retailers (paid tiers)
- Currencies
- EUR, USD, GBP etc
- Cards
- Global Physical, Global Virtual
- Payments
- Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Licence
- EMI — Bank of Lithuania
- SEPA Instant
- No
- Verification of Payee (VoP)
- No
- FX model
- Interbank rate on weekdays, weekend surcharge
- Opening requirements
- No local address needed; not a bank account
- English support
- Yes
- Remote opening
- Yes
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
Also consider
FAQ
- Is my money protected?
- No. Curve operates under an EMI licence — funds are safeguarded but NOT covered by a €100k Deposit Guarantee Scheme. It is not a bank in the deposit-protection sense.
- What IBAN and transfers?
- Curve issues a IBAN. SEPA Instant: no.
- Can I open remotely, in English?
- Opening is remote. English support is available. Requirements: No local address needed; not a bank account.
Data provenance & verification
Every fact is checked against an official source and stamped with a date. We re-check fees quarterly and document requirements twice a year. Fields not yet independently verified are labelled honestly.
Updated: Dataset compiled: