Starting in April, iPhone owners will be able to gift Starbucks purchases to others by way of the native iOS Messages app and Apple Pay, the coffee chain announced on Wednesday.
On Thursday WePay — an online payments platform with clients like Meetup, GoFundMe, and FreshBooks — announced that its clients can now accept Apple Pay on the Web, along with Android Pay.
Major banks in Australia find alternatives to NFC-based payments, such as Apple Pay, to be an "unrealistic" prospect to the Australian mobile payment marketplace, according to a submission provided to a government regulator, arguing for Apple to open up access of the iPhone's NFC technology to third parties.
A new payments terminal, E la Carte's PrestoPrime EMV, could potentially bring Apple Pay to more restaurants, and let people pay for food and drinks without either a card or interacting with a waiter.
JPMorgan Chase on Friday said it has reached an agreement with the Merchant Customer Exchange to buy the consortium's financial technology assets — the defunct CurrentC mobile payments platform — as the bank works to build out its own Chase Pay solution.
Apple on Wednesday introduced support for Apple Pay donations in the U.K., starting with a wave of 22 organizations such as the Alzheimer's Society, Oxfam, the Royal British Legion, and UNICEF.
Apple's Italian website now includes a section dedicated to Apple Pay, confirming earlier signs that the mobile payment option is coming to the country in the near future.
As rumored, Apple on Tuesday debuted Apple Pay in Ireland with support for KBC Bank Ireland and Ulster Bank, introducing the mobile payments solution to its 14th worldwide market.
A rumor on Monday claims Apple is primed to debut Apple Pay in Ireland later this week, while a separate report notes seven Taiwanese banks recently gained regulatory approval to launch the payments service in Taiwan.
Apple on Wednesday local Japan time activated a two month-long Apple Pay promotion offering cash back, points and more to users of the digital payments service, just in time to take advantage of six new supporting card issuers.
Santander, one of the world's top banks by market capitalization, has announced plans to collaborate with IBM on the development of a series of native iOS apps to support a "digital transformation" of its business, assisting its bankers to create deeper engagements with clients.
Apple Pay has today gained support from more than 40 new banks and credit unions in the U.S., inching the total of participating nationwide card issuers closer to 2,000. While Apple initially listed Santander among those banks, it was later apparently removed, with the bank indicating that support is coming this spring [updated].
Apple recently added complete translations and custom explainer graphics to Apple Pay support documents on its regional websites in German and Italy, suggesting the payments service might soon launch in those countries.
Jaguar Land Rover and Shell have collaborated on a new payment system that can be used to purchase fuel at Shell service stations without leaving the vehicle, with an app for the car's infotainment system launching in the UK with support for Apple Pay.
Though Apple is working on launching Apple Pay in South Korea, the mobile payments system is still some ways out — and the company has yet to hold a critical meeting with the government, according to a local report.
After a social media post by Target started reports circulating that Apple Pay would be accepted in-store, the company has denied that any effort is in place.
The four Australian banks at the core of the ongoing debate about opening up Apple Pay in the country have narrowed down their demands after being snubbed by the country's competition regulator, and are now solely focusing on opening access to iPhone and Apple Watch NFC technology.
The VP in charge of Apple Pay, Jennifer Bailey, criticized hold-out Australian banks in an interview published on Friday, arguing that they were too quick to jump to legal action rather than talk with Apple.
As Apple fights off regulatory attacks from Australia's "big three" banks in a bid to widen regional Apple Pay adoption, major international brands ING and Macquarie on Friday local time promised to support the digital payments system in the near future.
Commerce company Square has launched a new set of tools to help medium-sized businesses manage their affairs, with Square for Retail combining a point-of-sale app with other important business functions, including managing employees and inventory.
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Roger Fingas
Malcolm Owen
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Daniel Eran Dilger
Josh Levenson
Mike Wuerthele
