• Lloyds Banking Group has agreed to acquire Curve in a £120m deal.
• Curve informed shareholders after signing the share sale and purchase agreement.
• IDC Ventures strongly criticized Curve’s leadership and the sale process.
• Lloyds aims to strengthen its position in digital payments through the acquisition.

Britain’s largest high street bank has taken a major step into the digital payments space. Lloyds Banking Group has agreed to buy Curve for £120 million. Curve notified its investors this week after signing the formal share sale and purchase agreement. A public announcement is expected soon, possibly within days.

The news follows a turbulent period for the fintech. Curve acknowledged that the final price fell short of the expectations held by early supporters. The company told investors that it understood their disappointment. It also argued that the deal offered the most practical way forward for both creditors and shareholders as the business faced financial pressure.

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Curve Sale Sparks Investor Resistance and Legal Moves

This move sparked reactions on the part of various early investors. This arises due to the proposed value and how the funds will be distributed. One of the strongest reactions came from IDC Ventures with a 12% stake.

The investor further stated that it remained very concerned about how the management of Curve conducted the sales process. This individual claimed that there were disputes over the governance and ownership matters within the company. Additionally, IDC indicated that it would shield its legal interests as events continued.

Efforts by certain investors to remove Lord Fink, the chairman of Curve, and Shachar Bialick, the CEO and founder of the company, were thwarted at a shareholders’ meeting last month. IDC has retained Quinn Emanuel, a UK-based law firm, to give it legal advice regarding the matter. IDC has partnered with Curve for the last six years.

Despite efforts by certain investors wanting the removal of Lord Fink, the chairman of Curve, and Shachar Bialick, the CEO and founder of Curve, the move was rejected during a shareholders’ meeting last month. Quinn Emanuel, a law firm based in London, currently advises IDC on the issue. IDC supports Curve and has collaborated with them for the last six years and funding rounds.

Lloyds Acquisition Boosts Curve’s Payments Strategy

Curve has raised a minimum of £250m since the platform’s establishment. Despite this fact, Bialick recently stated that the company might run out of funds this year if there is no acquisition. The deal with Lloyds presents an opportunity for Curve to stabilize its financial timelines.

This new development will aid Lloyds in its ambitions of developing better internet payment platforms. This acquisition will enable the bank to compete more effectively because of the pressure on Apple’s payment services to open up their platforms to their competitors.

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