Funnily enough, Apple Pay launched in Australia following a multi-year push by local big banks to increase the use of contactless payments. So all the infrastructure was already there, built out by the banks themselves, when Apple came in demanding a US-style cut, as though they built the thing. The local big banks held out for years on supporting Apple Pay, before the customer pressure became too overwhelming and they relented.
They're all still very upset about this, and would drop Apple Pay in a second if the NFC chip were forced open by a regulator, but to date they've found it hard to find anyone too sympathetic to a sob story from - well - the nation's biggest banks.
They're all still very upset about this, and would drop Apple Pay in a second if the NFC chip were forced open by a regulator, but to date they've found it hard to find anyone too sympathetic to a sob story from - well - the nation's biggest banks.