Curve offers its customers the possibility to turn any object into a means of payment

Curve, an aggregator card issuer, has partnered with Digiseq to enable its 4 million customers (in 31 countries) to convert any object into a payment method using Digiseq's RCOS technology. In addition to the payment features, all the options already enabled by Curve will be available on these objects.

FACTS 

• In partnership with mobile payment company Digiseq, Curve will offer customers the ability to make contactless payments on a variety of fashion items such as rings, bracelets and apparel.

• Digiseq's RCOS mobile personalization technology allows consumers to securely fund Curve payment accounts on mobile using their Android or iOS smartphones.

• Users can link their cards to their wearable devices via Digiseq's white-label Manage-Mii app, activate it in seconds and immediately begin making wearable payments on Curve.

CHALLENGES 

• Providing consumers with more choice: Curve's raison d'être is already very much focused on consumer needs, with the introduction of greater flexibility (the ability to reallocate an expense to another card, after the fact; the ability to split a purchase to pay in installments, etc.). Curve is launching this new partnership to allow consumers to choose the payment methods that best suit them and the most suitable payment media, including those that were not designed for payment.

• Be able to pay anywhere, with any object: Rapid Contactless Personalization (RCOS) empowers consumers to pay with any object at millions of merchants worldwide (via the mastercard acceptance network). They can configure the object, equipped by Digiseq with an NFC chip, via the Manage-Mii application. The latter also offers loyalty options, beyond payment.

• Positioning so-called "passive" wearables at the heart of retailers' payment ecosystem and strategy: the pandemic has disrupted many traditional payment methods, prompting customers to seek simpler and more transparent ways to purchase goods and services. RCOS is one step in this process.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE 

• In 2021, DIGISEQ launched its Rapid Contactless Personalization (Rcos) solution, available for all Android and iOS devices, allowing the Manage Mii mobile app to be downloaded, and Mastercard payment data to be activated via secure tokenization.

• The main players in this wearable market are: Apple, Philips, Polar Electric, Omrom Corporation, Fitbit, Lifewatch, Garmin, VitalConnect, Jawbone, General Electric, Jamboni, General Motors. Google entered this market in 2019 with its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit.

• The wearable market is a branch of the connected object market that presents real growth opportunities, not only in the consumer electronics sector but also in the medical sector.

• Currently, the bulk of the consumer wearable offering consists of: 

  • connected bracelets and watches

  • smartglasses, which include augmented reality technology, audio capabilities to take calls and smartphone notifications, or even a camera.

• The pandemic has drastically accelerated the pace of market adoption of IoT technologies and contactless applications. A market that is expected to reach over 41 billion devices by 2027. The main objective of wearables in the healthcare sector is to continuously monitor and control the most important health indicators, improve the quality of information and ensure real-time diagnosis and treatment monitoring.