Apple Pay progresses at different rates depending on the country hosting the service. Its implementation depends on many factors, but the main ones are the number of Apple computers in the country and the agreements with financial institutions. This week we learned that Apple's payment service would have overtaken PayPal in the United States, because every month new banks are incorporated with Apple Pay support for their bank accounts and even various commercial chains facilitate payment from their payment terminals. In Europe the rate is slower but constant, while in Asia the degree of implementation is still low.
Specifically, last November a person in charge of the legal area and a trusted advisor visited South Korea to hold meetings with the country's financial authorities. In this first contact, they explained how Apple Pay works and planned meetings with local card providers.
On a second visit, Apple should request the necessary license to operate in the electronic business from the authorities. Apparently, this second visit has not occurred so far. According to the testimony of a card operator in the Asian country, their negotiations with Apple are at an early stage.
Instead, Google, more implanted than Apple in that region due to the influence of Samsung and other Asian companies, have taken the first step. It is in projects with card companies such as KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Lotte and Hyundai on online and NFC-based payments.
But the significant advantage that Apple's competitors bring is the technology that is applied: they do not require payment terminals with NFC technology. The vast majority of South Korean payment points lack NFC technology and therefore Apple Pay penetration is more expensive.