With “Vipps MobilePay”, the Norwegian payment service provider Vipps is the first provider in the world to be able to offer its digital wallet on Apple’s iPhone as a payment option. Previously, only Apple Pay was available for this.
Under pressure from the EU
The introduction of Vipps MobilePay, and certainly many other providers in the future, was made possible by an agreement between the European Union and Apple from July 2024, which stipulates that Apple must also allow other payment service providers on the iPhone.
From the EU's perspective, this was necessary because Apple, due to its dominant market position, deliberately excluded other payment providers from its own iOS operating system and did not grant other developers access to the NFC interface. With innovation and free competition restricted, the EU pushed for changes in Apple's business practices.
Specifically, the deal with Apple provides, among other things, the following key points:
- Free access to the NFC interface for third parties.
- Easy way to change the default payment app.
- Establish a monitoring mechanism and a separate dispute resolution system for independent review if Apple does restrict access.
The mentioned changes apply to all developers within the European Economic Area (EEA). The full press release is available on the European Commission website.
First of many
The Vipps CEO is visibly proud that Vipps is the first provider of an Apple Pay alternative.
We've fought for years to be able to compete on a level playing field with Apple, and it quickly feels surreal to finally be able to bring our own solution to market. This will now be a very exciting battle between the biggest brand in the world and Vipps
Rune Garborg, CEO of Vipps MobilePay
Vipps was founded in 2015 and has now become the payment service provider with the most users in Norway. Vipps cannot be used in practice in Germany or for German customers because the company does not have any well-known German banks as partners.
It can be assumed that other providers for the rest of the European market will soon follow.
