Apple Pay expected to arrive in UK in first half of 2015, barring 'tricky' talks with banks
Apple is reportedly in talks with banks in the U.K. to launch its mobile payment platform in the country in the first half of 2015.
But as reported by The Telegraph (via iDownloadBlog), negotiations between the Cupertino-based tech giant and at least one of the top banks in Britain have proved “tricky”:
It is understood the bank is uncomfortable with the amount of personal and financial information Apple wants to collect about its customers. Some executives fear Apple Pay and the data it delivers to Apple could serve as a beachhead for an invasion of the banking industry.
Be that as it may, all major banks are expected to eventually concede that Apple Pay is the way to go as far as mobile payments are concerned, especially considering its already significant adoption in the U.S.
Since its launch in October, Apple Pay has been seeing significant adoption particularly in partner retailers such as McDonald’s, Walgreens, and Whole Foods, and has been said to support the cards that represent about 90 percent of the credit card purchase volume in the U.S.
In addition, according to a recent report, Apple Pay already accounted for 1 percent of total digital payments in November in the U.S.
Across the pond, Apple has been preparing for the launch of its mobile payment service as it has begun looking for an “Apple Pay Intern” who will join its team based in London. The position entails the management of the expansion of Apple Pay across Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa in partnership with local issuers, payment networks and merchants.
Apple Pay is also expected to be launched in the all-important market that is China with backing from the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
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