Apple Pay has added yet another market to its tally, going live in Iceland with local banks Arion and Landsbankinn.
By our count, that marks 36 markets in which Apple’s mobile payment service is now available.
With a population of just around 334,000 people, Iceland is a tiny market for Apple Pay. It’s worth noting that this is not the smallest market that Apple Pay has gone live in. That would be Vatican City, which Apple launched in on May 17, 2017, alongside Italy and San Marino.
Nonetheless, it does get Apple closer to its goal of launching in 40 regions by the end of 2019. You can check the list of supported countries on Apple’s website.
After Iceland, other markets in the works for Apple Pay include the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, and Azerbaijan. Between them, these would take Apple way past its goal.
Apple Pay’s expansion
Apple first introduced Apple Pay to its first market, the U.S., on October 20, 2014. Since then, it has rolled out the service in numerous countries. While Tim Cook has suggested that mobile payments have rolled out slower than expected, Apple Pay is gradually gaining momentum.
Although Iceland is only getting it now, the country has long since used NFC payments. That should mean that there is little in the way of a learning curve when it comes to getting potential customers on board.
Are you a regular Apple Pay user? What do you think of the service? Let us know in the comments below.
Via: 9to5Mac
