As it stands, Apple Pay is only available in the US.
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Hopefully for Apple, the existence of the China-based Apple Technology Service (Shanghai) Ltd marks a positive step on the road to debuting Apple Pay in the country, although the journey’s not over yet.
Apple launches its online payment service Apple Pay in Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Apparently this is due to Apple registering an entity in the Shanghai free-trade zone which will then be used to operate the Apple Pay business, or so the reports claim.
Apple Pay is making its way into the Chinese market. The UnionPay is the only bank in China that deals with inter-bank payments.
This doesn’t mean an Apple Pay launch is imminent in China, but it appears to be closer than ever now. This however does not solve the problem as UnionPay controls the NFC payment system in the country so there is no going around the regulations. During the third quarter of 2015, China generated nearly 27 percent of Apple’s $46.9 billion in revenue, thanks mostly to the incredible demand for the iPhone there. Recently, Alibaba rival Tencent Holdings Ltd has also been gaining ground in the e-payment niche with its vastly popular WeChat messenger, which is another viable path that Cupertino could be using to expand.
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It is still a long process for the company since Apple has much to do to make this a reality.
