Apple Pay Faces iPhone Competition from Curve Pay

Hey Payments Fanatic!

For years, the idea of using anything other than Apple Pay on an iPhone felt out of reach. That is changing now. Curve Pay has arrived on iOS, marking a quiet but meaningful shift in how payments work on Apple’s tightly controlled platform.

The UK-based digital wallet claims to be the first to take advantage of Apple’s newly opened NFC interface. This was only possible after the European Commission’s ruling forced Apple to allow 3rd party access. It’s a regulatory moment that’s been long in the making, and Curve moved quickly to seize it.

“The payments ecosystem has for far too long been a one player game. Now with Apple’s hands forced to open to competition, Curve Pay ushers in a new era of choice for iOS consumers,” said Shachar Bialick, Curve’s Founder and CEO.

With Curve Pay already live on Android for about a month, the company is positioning itself as a single wallet that works across devices, aiming to give users more flexibility and control over how they pay.

Curve is calling this a first: the first viable Apple Pay alternative on iOS. But that status may be contested. Norway’s Vipps launched a similar tap-to-pay feature back in December, and questions remain about who crossed the line first.

Who came first may be debated, but what’s certain is that Apple no longer holds full control over tap-to-pay on the iPhone.

Read more global Payments industry updates below 👇 and I'll be back with more on Monday!

Cheers,

Marcel

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