The launch of Apple Pay will take place today, October 4, an Apple representative told Vedomosti. He added that the service will first be available to Sberbank Mastercard cardholders. A Sberbank employee confirmed this. Preparations are now underway to launch the service for clients of other banks, says an Apple representative. He did not give a time frame. “We are working with our partners to launch Apple Pay as soon as possible,” Apple Vice President of Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey told Vedomosti.

It will be possible to pay using Apple devices in Russia through approximately 200,000 POS terminals in cafes, restaurants, shops, gas stations, etc., which support contactless payments by bank cards, notes an Apple representative. You can pay from smartphones iPhone 6 and later models (6s, SE, 7), iPad Pro tablets and younger, and Apple Watch. To pay, you need to link a bank card to your Apple device.

Russia entered the top ten
Apple announced the launch of Apple Pay in the USA in the fall of 2014. Now, in addition to Russia, the system operates in nine more countries (Switzerland, France and Hong Kong joined it in July)....
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Russia entered the top ten

Apple announced the launch of Apple Pay in the USA in the fall of 2014. Now, in addition to Russia, the system operates in nine more countries (Switzerland, France and Hong Kong joined it in July). The company does not disclose payment turnover and the number of Apple Pay users - Bailey speaks only about tens of millions of subscribers. According to Apple, in June 2016 their number grew by 450% year on year.

In Russia, by the time Apple Pay launches, many companies are already ready to accept contactless mobile payments: it will be possible to pay through it at Azbuka Vkusa, Magnit, Auchan, Starbucks coffee shops, etc., Bailey lists. “When Apple Pay became available in the US, mobile payments penetration was 4%, and in just two years that figure had risen to 30%,” Bailey recalls.

Apple and operator representatives interviewed by Vedomosti do not say how many iPhone 6 and newer models are used in Russia today. According to Telecom Daily CEO Denis Kuskov, 62–63 million smartphones are currently registered in Russian cellular networks. iPhone 6, 6s, SE and 7 – up to 5 million, he believes. According to employees of one of the operators, today there are 3.5–5 million such devices on the Big Three cellular networks.

On September 29, 2016, the payment system in Russia was launched by Apple’s main competitor in the global market, Samsung. The company representative promised to sum up the first results later. VTB predicts that next year Samsung Pay turnover on VTB 24 cards will exceed 1 billion rubles, a VTB representative said last week.

In terms of growth rates of the mobile financial services market, Russia lags behind not only developed, but also developing countries, AC&M Consulting partner Oksana Pankratova previously told Vedomosti. From developed ones - because Russian subscribers, as a rule, have less money in their accounts; from developing ones - because there is less need for such services: in Russia the banking system is better developed, bank cards and Internet banking are widespread. In 2015, the turnover of the Russian mobile financial services market grew by 37% to 70.4 billion rubles, and the number of users - by 15.3% to 11.9 million people, according to the AC&M Consulting report. AC&M Consulting estimates the average annual market growth at 25–30%, and the audience at 15–20%. According to her data, the global market for financial services intended for mobile device users is growing annually by 90–100%: in 2015, it increased by more than 88% to $134 billion, and the number of users increased by 50% to 1 billion people. But with the growing penetration of smartphones, the situation in Russia began to change for the better, says Pankratova. The release of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay could warm up this market and give it new impetus, she predicts.

During the preparation of the article, representatives of Sberbank did not answer questions from Vedomosti. however, a bank representative later said that after the launch of Apple Pay in Russia, the popularity of contactless payments will begin to grow sharply.

Russia entered the top ten Apple announced the launch of Apple Pay in the USA in the fall of 2014. Now, in addition to Russia, the system operates in nine more countries (Switzerland, France and Hong Kong joined it in July).... Read in full

Russia entered the top ten
Apple announced the launch of Apple Pay in the USA in the fall of 2014. Now, in addition to Russia, the system operates in nine more countries (Switzerland, France and Hong Kong joined it in July)....
Read in full

Apple Pay has reached Russia