Curve, the London-based digital wallet provider, has announced an expansion of its partnership with global tech leader Thales to enable secure NFC contactless payments for iOS users, marking a major advancement in the European fintech space.
The move comes as Curve launches Curve Pay on iOS, bringing in-app NFC contactless payments directly to iPhone users—a first for the platform. The development underscores Curve’s ambition to offer seamless, secure, and flexible digital payment experiences across both Android and iOS, without the need for third-party apps or hardware restrictions.
Powered by Thales’ D1 digital payment platform, Curve Pay allows customers to digitise physical payment cards and make in-store contactless purchases using only their mobile devices. The cloud-based D1 platform operates in real time and integrates directly with mobile wallets, ensuring transactions are secure, instant, and compliant with the latest industry standards.
“At Curve, we’re committed to redefining the digital wallet experience,” said Shachar Bialick, Founder and CEO of Curve. “By building robust guardrails into Curve Pay, powered by Thales’ industry-leading platform, we’re not just safeguarding transactions—we’re empowering our customers to take full control of their financial lives.”
The updated collaboration expands on the companies’ previous successes, including the Huawei Pay integration delivered by Curve and Thales in Europe. The companies now aim to bring a uniform experience to millions of users regardless of device or operating system.
With more than six million users across Europe and established partnerships with firms like Samsung and PayPal, Curve has positioned itself as a challenger to traditional banks by consolidating multiple cards into a single smart wallet and eliminating many typical bank fees.
The deeper integration with Thales enables contactless NFC functionality inside the Curve app itself, bypassing limitations previously imposed by operating systems—especially on iOS, which historically restricted access to its secure element for third-party wallets.
“This milestone reflects our shared commitment to giving users more control while supporting a dynamic payment ecosystem,” said François Chaffard, Vice President of Digital Payment Services at Thales. “By integrating our D1 platform, we’re enabling a new level of freedom and flexibility for mobile NFC payments—without compromising on security or compliance.”
For iOS users, the change brings greater autonomy in mobile transactions. Users can now pre-load cards into the Curve app, tap to pay in stores, and manage payments—all without opening separate banking apps.
As mobile payments become increasingly central to personal finance, Curve’s latest move positions it as a serious player in Europe’s evolving digital payments landscape—challenging incumbents with a feature-rich, secure, and user-centric solution.
For more information on Curve Pay and compatible devices, visit www.curve.com.
