Samsung Pay in India, Apple Pay in Ireland, Apple Pay might be coming to Belgium and Italy
Samsung (OTC: SSNLF) has beaten Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) by launching its Samsung Pay in India. That makes it the first mobile payment app available on the subcontinent.
This is a major defeat for both Apple Pay and Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Android Pay which are not yet offered there. Neither of those services was in position when Prime Minister Neranda Modi created chaos and sowed panic by demonetizing the nation’s largest banknotes on November 8. That meant the cash in their pockets was worthless, which would have been a huge opportunity for payment apps.
Several banks including Axis, HDFC, ICIC, SBI and Standard Chartered will support Samsung Pay, Investopedia reported. It will also work with Paytm the most popular digital wallet in India. There are also rumors of deal for American Express (NYSE: AXP) to support Samsung Pay.
Not surprisingly digital payments have grown dramatically by 400%, or to 7.5 million according to Quartz India. Yet Apple Pay and Android Pay are not there which makes for an embarrassing failure.
Samsung Pay is currently available in 13 countries including the USA, South Korea and the People’s Republic of China.
Apple Pay in Ireland
Apple Pay launched in Ireland on March 7, Apple Insider reported. This means it is now available on the entire island. IPhone users can already use the app in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.
Two banks KBC Bank and Ulster Bank are supporting Apple Pay in Ireland. It also works with Boon a digital wallet connected MasterCard (NYSE: MA). This means Apple Pay is now available in three Eurozone countries; it was previously launched in Spain and France.
Is Apple Pay Coming to Italy and Belgium?
Apple Pay might be heading to two more Eurozone countries in the near future, news reports indicate.
Apple’s official Italian website now contains an Apple Pay page, Apple Insider reported. That might be a sign a roll out is imminent or just a test to see how much interest there is. The page claims Boon, UniCredit and Carrefour will support Apple Pay in Italy. No date for a rollout was announced, which means beta testing might be needed.
CBC Banque & Assurance tweeted that Apple Pay will roll out in Belgium in May, MacRumors reported. At least one other Belgian bank, Belfius, claimed it will start offering contactless payments on May 2 but did not mention a specific service.
Apple is being more tight-lipped about these rollouts, probably to avoid embarrassing failures like those in Japan where Apple Pay would not work in train stations. The company probably wants the service to work before announcing it.
Apple Pay for Charity in England
You can now donate to 22 British charities using Apple Pay, Endgadet reported. CancerResearch UK, the Royal British Legion, the British Heart Foundation, the RSPCA, Unicef UK, the World Wildlife Foundation, Oxfam and the Alzheimer’s Society are among the good causes you can donate to via your phone.
It looks as if mobile payment is growing fast, but Apple and Android might not be moving fast enough.
