We’ve known that Apple Pay was due to launch in China for a while now, but according to a China Guangfa Bank social media post spotted by Tech In Asia, the mobile payment service will be launching in the country on February 18.
The post revealed that China Guangfa Bank credit card customers can now view Apple Pay’s Chinese launch date when selecting Apple Pay availability in their accounts.
Though Apple Pay is only available to American Express customers in most of the countries it has launched, China follows the Unites States and Canada in that the majority of its banks will support the payment system.
Banking on success
19 banks have already signed up, including the aforementioned China Guangfa Bank, ICBC, Bank of China, Bank of Beijing, Bank of Shanghai, China Citic Bank and more.
Full details of Apple Pay’s first proper rollout in Asia, including app the banks which will support it, are available on Apple’s Chinese website.
In the Chinese mobile payment arena, Apple will be competing directly with Alibaba Group Holding’s AliPay and Tencent Holdings’ WeChat Wallet.
Source: techradar.com
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