Episode description

Lex interviews Shachar Bialick, the founder and CEO of Curve, a fintech mobile wallet. In this exciting episode, Shachar touches on: (1) his background as a serial entrepreneur and his experience in the Israeli military shaped his ability to solve problems and work in high-stress environments, which are key traits for a successful founder. (2) The initial idea behind Curve was to create a "wallet to rule them all" - a single interface that could consolidate and manage multiple payment cards and accounts, providing more value and convenience to customers. (3) Building Curve involved navigating complex challenges, such as convincing payment networks like Mastercard and Visa to change their rules to allow Curve's back-to-back wallet technology. This required a resilient, innovative, and persistence approach. (4) Shachar emphasizes the importance of building a company culture that fosters curiosity, adaptability, and a belief that "everything is possible" rather than focusing on perceived limitations. (5) Lastly, Shachar discusses the evolution of the fintech landscape, including the challenges faced by neobanks in creating true financial marketplaces, and the ongoing issues with the implementation of open banking standards.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: Curve, ApplePay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Tink, neobank, fintech, wallets, payments, paytech, NFC, Open Banking

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TIMESTAMPS

1’02: From Military Service to Fintech Success: Shachar Bialick on Founding Curve and Redefining Payments

9’10: The Resilient Founder: Risk-Taking, Leadership, and the Cultural Mindset Behind Entrepreneurship

14’59: From Unbundling to Rebundling: Building Curve to Solve Financial Fragmentation

20’50: Revolutionizing Payments: Curve's Ambition to Unite Financial Ecosystems

24’26: Trailblazing Curve: Overcoming Challenges to Redefine Payments and Build a Global Fintech Ecosystem

30’23: Project Elah: How Curve Challenged Apple’s NFC Restrictions to Redefine Digital Wallets

34’50: Shaving the Lion: How Curve Built a Culture to Overcome Industry Challenges and Innovate

39’05: Challenging Apple Pay: Curve’s Strategy to Deliver Tangible Customer Benefits

42’01: The Evolution of Fintech Infrastructure: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Role of Open Banking

51’54: The channels used to connect with Shachar & learn more about Curve

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

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