German savings bank association Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken will roll out support for Apple Pay later this year, with support for EC cards to follow afterward.
Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken, an association of German savings banks and cooperative banks, will support Apple Pay in 2019. While there is no specific date mentioned, the service should start "later this year," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of internet services. Other German banks have already begun to adopt Apple Pay.
"The ink is dry," the Federal Association of German Banks wrote on Twitter, "The Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken will offer their customers Apple Pay later this year."
Die Tinte ist trocken: Die Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken werden ihren Kunden im Laufe des Jahres #ApplePay anbieten. @BVRPresse pic.twitter.com/EKQ0ewZuc6
-- BVR (@BVRPresse) June 26, 2019
According to an article at Heise Online, the EC card, or Euro-Cheque card, will not be supported at launch. Girocard, the producers and managers of EC cards, will need to do some work on their end before integration can happen.
Many banks had originally held out on adopting Apple Pay.