Switzerland’s Competition Commission (COMCO) has opened a preliminary probe into Apple Pay, despite the mobile payments feature being more than a decade old. The watchdog is examining whether Apple’s conditions for allowing third-party access to the iPhone’s NFC technology breach Swiss antitrust rules.
The inquiry, initiated on December 10, aims to determine whether competing mobile payment apps can operate on a level playing field with Apple Pay when offering contactless payments in retail stores. Unlike Android phones, which have long permitted open NFC access, Apple only began giving Swiss developers access to its NFC interface in late 2024. Regulators are now assessing whether these terms differ from the commitments Apple made to the European Union last year.
Under EU pressure, Apple agreed in July 2024 to unlock NFC access across member states — a move that does not automatically extend to Switzerland, which is outside the bloc. COMCO has been in discussions with Apple since then and is now gathering input from industry players to determine whether the company’s Swiss-specific conditions meet local competition standards.
NFC-based payments have surged in popularity worldwide due to their convenience, and Apple’s focus on simplicity has played a significant role in driving adoption. Apple’s unified hardware-software ecosystem and substantial global footprint also make it easier for the company to roll out new technologies like Apple Pay.
The situation in India, however, is markedly different. The government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI), operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), dominates digital transactions in the country, leaving a much smaller role for NFC-based payment systems.
