Apple is a step closer to bringing Apple Pay to the U.K.

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay is headed to the U.K. in 2015. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay is set to arrive in the U.K. during the first half of 2015, according to a recent report from The Telegraph newspaper, which states that Apple is in talks with top banks in the country.

If true, this report backs up what Cult of Mac wrote recently, noting that Apple recently advertised for a new employee to help “drive the roll-out” of mobile payments in Europe and elsewhere.

But there are likely to be a few teething problems along the way.

Despite the inevitability of Apple Pay’s arrival, The Telegraph notes that there are currently negotiations regarding what data Apple will be able to access. The newspaper suggests that banks in the U.K. are uncomfortable about 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,” the paper writes.

Nonetheless, the article points out that even with reservations, no major bank is going to want to miss out on Apple Pay, which looks set to finally be the technology which convinces users to engage with mobile payments.

Because of this, Apple is understandably keen to push the service into more markets. Shortly after Apple Pay launched, Tim Cook described bringing it to China as “top of the list” in terms of Apple’s priorities. Other planned markets include the Middle East, India, and Africa.

In the U.S. more banks and retailers support Apple Pay than ever, with a report earlier this month saying that Apple Pay now covers 90% of U.S. credit card purchase volume.

Pretty impressive for a service that hasn’t even been out for three months yet!

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