Apple working ‘rapidly’ to bring Apple Pay to more countries in Europe and Asia

Following the expanded launch of Apple Pay in Singapore this week, TechCrunch spoke with Apple VP Jennifer Bailey about Apple Pay’s roadmap. The Apple executive said the company wants to bring Apple Pay to every significant market in which it operates with particular focus on rapid expansion in Europe and Asia. Apple Pay is currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Singapore and Australia. Apple has already said the mobile payments service will reach Hong Kong soon …

Jennifer Bailey says Apple decides what countries to prioritize Apple Pay deployment based on a number of factors, although the size of the market for Apple products is a primary decision factor. Bailey also says that the existing penetration of contactless payment terminals and uptake of credit and debit card plays a role. Partnerships with American Express and Visa also contribute to how fast Apple can get going in a country, as seen last year.

She also says that Apple Pay acts as a catalyst to boost contactless payments in regions, citing fast growth of contactless transactions in the US following Apple’s introduction.

“[But] when we bring Apple Pay to market even when contactless is low it will grow — it was 4 percent in the U.S. but is now 20 percent. We also work with our network partners, where we can utilize integration with Amex and Visa, to go to market quickly.”