UK asks Apple to widen access to its payment tech

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   UK asks Apple to widen access to its payment tech

   BBC NewsPublished Oct 20, 2026Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “UK smartphone users could benefit from new payment, ticket and travel apps if Apple widens access to its contactless payment tech, the competition watchdog says. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also wants the fees Apple charges firms to use its contactless tech to be "substantially lower". It believes the iPhone maker's current fees and charges are "blocking" financial technology firms and others from innovating and growing - and is consulting on proposals it believes would cause these fees to fall. Apple maintains that widening access could undermine security, and that its current arrangements do not stop innovation. Nearly 2 in 5 payments are now contactless, the watchdog said, with nearly 60% of people using digital wallets - with Apple's the most popular in the UK. In a statement Apple told the BBC that the current arrangements had permitted developers in the UK and around the world to securely offer contactless transactions directly within their apps, for everything from in-store payments and transit passes to car keys and event tickets. "This solution enables developers and banks to create innovative products and services for their customers and facilitates competition between wallets, while ensuring users' sensitive data remains protected by the highest security standards". "We do not believe the CMA should require Apple to adopt an approach with lower privacy and security protections.”

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   Recent Developments at the CMA: 2021-22.

   Review of industrial organization (Cellan-Jones et al.)Published Aug 25, 2022Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “This article discusses three important pieces of work that the Competition and Markets Authority has completed over the last year. The first two are market studies: The Mobile Ecosystems Market Study was launched over concerns that Apple and Google have too much control over operating systems (iOS and Android), app stores (App Store and Play Store), and web browsers (Safari and Chrome) that together form their 'ecosystems'; the Electric Vehicles Charging Market Study took actions and provided recommendations in a nascent but critically important market. The final piece of work is "State of Competition": a research project that assesses the evolution of competition in the UK over the past two decades.”

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   Apple Pay (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaChecked Oct 20, 2026

   “Apple Pay is a mobile payment service by Apple that allows users to make payments in person, in iOS apps, and on the web. Supported on iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro, Apple Pay digitizes and can replace a credit or debit card chip and PIN transaction at a contactless-capable point-of-sale terminal. It does not require Apple Pay–specific contactless payment terminals; it can work with any merchant that accepts contactless payments. It adds two-factor authentication via Touch ID, Face ID, Optic ID, PIN, or passcode. Devices wirelessly communicate with point of sale systems using near field communication (NFC), with an embedded secure element (eSE) to securely store payment data and perform cryptographic functions, and Apple's Touch ID, Face ID and OpticID for biometric authentication. Apple Pay can also be used to pay fares on many public transport networks. Payment can be authorised without authentication for supported public transport networks, referred to as 'Express Mode', or by a regular authenticated Apple Pay transaction for other systems accepting contactless payments.”