Apple is one step closer to launching Apple Card and Apple Cash in Canada, as the company saw trademark filings for the two payments products approved by regional authorities in January.
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office approved Apple's applications for Apple Card and Apple Cash on Jan. 25, paving the way for a potential launch in the country, iPhone in Canada reports. Apple first filed for the trademarks in July 2019.
Developed in partnership with Goldman Sachs, Apple Card is a branded credit card backed by Goldman and operated within the Mastercard network. Along with unique account tracking tools, cashback benefits and a titanium physical card, Apple Card features tight integration with Apple Pay and the Wallet app. Cardholders also enjoy interest-free financing on a number of Apple products.
Apple Cash, previously known as Apple Pay Cash, is Apple's person-to-person digital payments solution. The system works with a debit card in Apple Pay and allows users to send funds through Messages and Siri. Apple Cash also acts as a repository for Apple Card's Daily Cash cashback rewards structure. In addition to sending money and funding Apple Pay purchases, users can transfer their Apple Cash balance to an associated bank account. Apple Cash can also be used to make payments on an Apple Card balance.
Apple has long been rumored to expand Apple Card beyond the U.S. -- CEO Tim Cook confirmed as much in 2019 -- though the card has yet to launch internationally.
Beyond the Canadian trademarks, a report last September claimed Apple was discussing partnerships with Australian banks, while code discovered in iOS 14 referenced GDPR regulations that would only be necessary if the card was available in Europe.