Apple Pay has made its official debut in Germany. The country marks the 32nd market to receive Apple’s mobile payment service after it went live in Belgium and Kazakhstan last month.
Apple Pay is supported by 15 banks and financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank unit Comdirect, Hypovereinsbank, Wirecard, Hanseatic Bank, and others.
I never thought this day would come.
Apple Pay is available in Germany.
Let me repeat that. APPLE PAY IS AVAILABLE IN GERMANY!
Before AirPower even.Enough reason for me to dust off the old Twitter account! ? ? ? pic.twitter.com/iPJuetTSqm
— René Fouquet (@renefouquet) December 11, 2018
Given Germany’s dominance on the world stage, some people may be surprised by Apple Pay’s relatively late arrival in the country. By comparison, it launched in the U.S. in 2014, the United Kingdom in 2015, and France in 2016.
In Germany, however, a battle over bank fees pushed back its launch in the country. This involved tense negotiations between Apple and German banks regarding fees and control.
Now that it has launched, it will be interesting to see how quickly it is adopted. Tim Cook has admitted that mobile payments have taken off slower than he expected. But Europe has a big advantage over the U.S. due to the widespread use of contactless technology.
Tim Cook promised during Apple’s earnings call in July that Apple Pay would reach Germany before the end of this year. If there’s one other market to receive Apple Pay this year, it is likely to be Saudi Arabia.
Source: VentureBeat
