Apple Pay launches in Brazil with Itaú

Apple has launched its mobile payment and digital wallet service in Brazil in partnership with local bank Itaú.

See also

Apple in the Enterprise: A Strategic Guide

Once a pariah in the enterprise, Apple has quietly emerged as a darling of executives and professionals because of the ease of use of the iPhone and the iPad. We look at how the influx of Apple devices is changing the tech landscape in business.

Read now

The Apple Pay partnership, launched on Wednesday, will be exclusive for 90 days and also involves local retailers such as supermarket chain Pão de Açúcar and restaurants, where discounts will be offered to those using the app.

As part of the deal, Itaú customers also get discounts in the purchase of Apple products. According to Itaú, the main goal of the partnership is to reduce friction for customers, avoiding issues such as payment delays in retail outlets.

Itaú has a customer base of about 60 million customers. The initial aim of the Apple Pay partnership is to reach 1,2 million of them.

Brazil is the 21st country where Apple Pay has been launched so far. According to Apple, some 67 percent of all point-of-sale terminals nationwide are ready to handle the transactions.

This follows the launch of Google Pay in Brazil last month, in a partnership with local bank Bradesco.