Apple Pay is now available in 20 countries following rollout in the UAE, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

The development, in truth, does not come as a surprise, after Apple said during its fiscal Q3 earnings call in August it would launch in the four additional markets by the end of the year.

In the UAE, Apple partnered with six banks to launch the service, while in Denmark Jyske Bank and Nordea will support the payment service.

In both Finland and Sweden, Apple Pay can be used with debit and credit cards from Nordea and ST1.

UAE first
While Apple Pay is already available in select markets in Europe, the launch in the UAE represents a first for the Middle East.

Speaking to Gulf News, Jennifer Bailey, VP internet services at Apple Pay, said it decided on the UAE after considering a number of factors, such as iPhone base and the use of credit cards.

“Recent studies have indicated that card spending increased substantially over the last couple of years, and that’s one of the key signs of accelerated growth towards a cashless environment,” she said.

The company is reportedly planning to next deploy the service in the Netherlands, Poland, Norway and Germany, although this is unconfirmed and timescales remain unknown.