German payments company Wirecard expanded the availability of an Apple Pay-compatible mobile payment application into France – the first market for the Apple-version of the app within the Eurozone.

The application, named boon, enables the use of Apple Pay without the need for customers to register a payment card linked to a specific bank account, credit card or mobile operator. Instead, the application uses funds from a prepaid Mastercard issued by Wirecard Card Solutions to fulfill the payment.

The original incarnation of the boon app, released in 2015, was Android-only and available in Germany, Austria, The Netherlands and Belgium. Gradually Wirecard added a number of other European markets and launched its first Apple Pay version during May 2016 in the UK.

Wirecard EVP for Consumer Solutions, Georg von Waldenfels, said: “By launching boon with Apple Pay in France, even more users in Europe can experience a new level of mobile payments without being a customer of a specific bank.”

In addition to its boon-branded apps, the company produces physical payment cards and a range of white-label products. Last year it paved the way for China-based commerce-giant Alipay to provide payment services for customers travelling in Europe by creating a merchant-focused POS app.