Apple Continues To Fight Australian Banks For Not Adopting Apple Pay
Apple’s been battling out with Australian banks in regards to supporting Apple Pay in the country. Banks demand that Apple open up its NFC chips to offer competing contactless payment solutions. Apple refused and now the banks have gone to court.
Draft rulings indicate that the court will rule in Apple’s favor, however the final decision will be made in March. Today, Apple explains that Australian banks are attempting to ‘delay or even block’ the rollout of Apple Pay.
Apple claims that the delayed launch is hurting both consumers and merchants who are looking to adopt the technology. The issue at hand is that banks want access to the NFC chip, but Apple is not willing to give it up due to security concerns.
However, the banks do have a point. They don’t want to hand access to one company, in this case Apple, and give them full control over their systems. Australian banks argue that it ‘has always been about providing real choice and real competition for consumers and facilitating innovation and investment in the digital wallet functionality available to Australians’.