Curve is a new generation of debit card. A “Smart Card”. Curve is not a bank nor a prepaid card. The best way to think about Curve is a card that is powered by your existing debit and credit cards. That is to say, when you pay for something with Curve, the transaction takes place between Curve and the company you’re purchasing from. Before the transaction is fully processed, Curve requests for authorisation from the underlying card that you’ve selected to power your Curve card. For those interested, a more technical and detailed explanation of this process can be found here.