Curve, a fintech company specializing in accessibility by intertwining a multitude of financial services into one mobile application and one digital card, has announced a new bitcoin rewards program at Bitcoin 2022.
Through the program, Curve users can load an already existing credit or debit card and connect it to their Curve card. Being connected to an already existing rewards card allows Curve users to “double-dip” rewards and receive bitcoin in addition to their rewards.
“Now, not only are customers able to take control of their money and earn cashback through Curve, but we are empowering them further by offering cryptocurrency rewards too in the most accessible way possible,” CEO, Shachar Bialick said in a press release sent to Bitcoin Magazine.
For instance, let’s say a customer of Curve already has a BlockFi rewards card through Visa that gives 1.5% cash back in the form of bitcoin. If this card was loaded onto a Curve card digitally, the user would be able to receive 3% cash back in bitcoin on eligible purchases.
“We know that millions of people worldwide already hold cryptocurrency but, for many, it remains a complete unknown,” Bialick said in the release. “Curve has evolved to offer a route into the cryptocurrency world for the ever-growing ‘crypto-curious market.'”
With a significant footprint in Europe already, the Curve app recently launched in the U.S. and users can join the waiting list to take advantage of streamlining all of their card rewards cards into one seamless location. Customers will also be able to view their earned bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in the app, and should customers want to spend their cryptocurrency, they will be able to use the Curve Cash digital wallet.
In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, both CEO Shachar Bialick and Vice President of North America Amanda Orson emphasized that the project is still in its “crawling” phase, with lots of room left to walk and then run.
“We have to give the masses easy entrance into the Bitcoin system,” Bialick said. “The way we lure them in is to give them something they know.”
“It gets a lot cooler the further we get out,” added Orson.
Curve also presented at Bitcoin Conference 2022, highlighting what it envisions as a Layer 3 for bitcoin-based payments. If Layer 2 can be thought of as data transmission, then Layer 3 should be thought of as data aggregation in this model. This is where usable data, relevant to the monetary system, is combined and used in one central location to allow ease and accessibility for users.
In Curve’s case, this is achieved through the aggregation of cards and accounts that each user is capable of using, putting all of their spendable assets together to lessen the burden of management. Balick honed in on the creation of a Layer 3 when he addressed the crowd of the conference saying;
“We fought hard for the past five years to get us access. And we won.”
But what did they win? In order to achieve a Layer 3, you must integrate with every lLyer 2 player in order to aggregate their data.
Curve allowing its users to connect all of their cards, including access to digital wallets and exchanges to spend bitcoin, builds its envisioned Layer 3 in what Balick called, “One card to rule them all.”
Bitcoin 2022 is part of the Bitcoin Event Series hosted by BTC Inc, the parent company of Bitcoin Magazine.