UK asks Apple to widen access to its payment tech
Source: BBC ·
Proposed changes could lead to new digital wallets and keys as well as ticketing apps, the regulator says.
From the source
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…