Apple Pay has now notched up ten countries as it goes live in Russia today. The country joins Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and U.S. in supporting Apple’s mobile wallet service.
The launch was marked on Apple’s Russian website, though the company has yet to update the Apple Pay availability page of its U.S. site.
Support in Russia is currently limited to one bank and one card type …
Russian news agency Tass reports that the service is so far available only for MasterCard holders banking with Sberbank. It appears to support both credit and debit cards.
Sberbank clients – MasterCard cardholders – can now use Apple Pay […] Apple Pay can be easily set up in the Sberbank Online mobile application, which is familiar to all Sberbank cardholders. Users can enjoy contactless payment service while continuing to receive all the benefits from using their credit and debit cards.
Rolling out Apple Pay to new countries takes time as Apple needs to negotiate with local banks, and regulatory approval may also be required. It was recently reported that the service will be coming to Taiwan’s four big banks this year or early next as Apple continues the U.S. expansion.
Apple has also added two more banks in the UK – The Co-operative Bank and Metro Bank – to reach a total of 22 banks there.
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