Apple has been discussing partnerships with a number of banks and financial institutes across the world about bringing Apple Pay to their country. With each report, our hopes continue to rise, as though an International Apple Pay will be here soon. But after months of these reports, we still don't know when it will go international. However, a new rumor may change that.
A recent report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that the tech giant is currently in discussions with the Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and National Bank of Canada, which are the six biggest banks in Canada. Sources involved with the discussions say that Apple is looking into a November release date, though this isn't 100 percent confirmed. While this could just be a country-specific date, it could also point to when Apple hopes to release the service to the wide world.
The rumor is a big development for Apple, though early reports have revealed that discussions aren't going as well as they should.
"Canadian banks have balked at Apple's 'onerous' fee-sharing proposals, and are worried about customer authentication problems that have plagued their U.S. counterparts," Apple Insider reported. This distrust could lead to Apple charging 25 basis points per transaction, as opposed to the typical 15 basis points that Apple charges in the U.S.
After expressing their worries about Apple Pay's insecurities, the Canadian banks reportedly hired an expert to help with security. This expert will "identify new account security options that could include 'secondary authentication' mechanisms. Many U.S. banks have adopted similar provisions - such as requiring users to log into a mobile app or enter a PIN code when adding a card to Apple Pay - while others require customers to call the bank's contact center personally," according to Apple Insider.
Apple is pursuing Apple Pay options in China as well, but is reportedly having similar problems.
