Apple Pay continues to grow, 27 more US banks added to mobile payment service

By Mike Wuerthele

As part of its regular expansion, Apple has added 27 more banks and credit unions to its list of institutions that support Apple Pay.

Added to Apple's ongoing list of banks, the newest batch supplements the 17 additions in January, and brings the total to more than 1,700 participating card issuers nationwide.

Apple added the following 27 banks and credit unions to its Apple Pay support page:

Apple's near-field communication and web-basred digital payments product has grown rapidly sine release with recent launches in Japan and, more recently, Spain.

Apple's payment arm also has increasing international support Russia, Australia, China and Singapore.

In December, Apple Pay head Jennifer Bailey said 35 percent of U.S. retailers, or some 4 million locations, now accept the payment service. Bailey expects Apple Pay availability in two out of every three stores in 2017 as giant chains like Gap come onboard.

During the most recent Apple quarterly earnings conference call on Jan. 31, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the number of users has tripled during the past year, and over 2 million small businesses are now accepting invoice payments via Apple Pay on the Web.