苹果(Apple)与中国银联(UnionPay)及15家中国银行达成了一项人们期待已久的协议，将在中国推出其移动支付业务。
银联的发卡量达50亿张，银联卡可在中国各地及150多个国家使用。苹果可借助这一合作搭上银联的便车。中国农业银行(ABC)、中国银行(BOC)、中国建设银行(CCB)和中国工商银行(ICBC)等多家银行将为Apple Pay提供支持。
不过，Apple Pay在中国内地的推出仍有待监管部门批准。苹果表示，Apple Pay“将按照中国监管部门要求完成相关检测和认证，之后正式向中国地区的银联卡持卡人开放此项服务，预计最快2016年初”。
用户可使用Apple Pay在签约零售商处进行支付，他们只需将拇指放在iPhone的主屏幕键上，然后用手机贴一下收银设备就可结账。这款应用由设备内的安全芯片提供支撑。
中国是苹果的一个重要市场，目前，该公司在全球其他地区的增长已经放缓。由于iPhone对中国消费者依然具有吸引力，去年大中华区的销售额翻番至125亿美元。
苹果互联网软件与服务高级副总裁艾迪錠埃(Eddy Cue)表示：“对于苹果而言，中国市场的重要性不言而喻。通过携手中国银联以及15家中国主要银行的支持，中国的用户即将可以享受便捷、安全和私密的支付体验。”
中国银联执行副总裁柴洪峰表示：“中国银联致力于推动支付创新，联合产业各方为数亿银联卡持卡人提供安全、便捷的移动支付体验。”
银联的闪付(QuickPass)技术已经让许多持卡人可以“闪一下”他们的信用卡就完成支付。上周，银联表示已有20多家银行支持新的移动支付服务。去年中国消费者用他们的智能手机完成了价值3.5万亿美元的交易，不过，该市场占主导地位的是阿里巴巴(Alibaba)的支付宝(Alipay)和腾讯(Tencent)的财付通(Tenpay)。（中国进出口网）
Apple has struck a long-awaited deal with UnionPay and 15 Chinese banks to launch its mobile payments service in China.
The tie-up will allow Apple to tap UnionPay’s 5bn issued cards, which are accepted across China and in more than 150 countries. Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank and ICBC are among the lenders lined up to support Apple Pay.
However, the mainland rollout of Apple Pay is still awaiting regulatory clearance. Apple said it hoped UnionPay customers would be able to add their cards to the service “as soon as early 2016 after relevant tests and certification required by Chinese regulators”.
The app, powered by a secure chip inside the device, allows customers to pay at participating retailers by holding their thumb on the iPhone’s home button and tapping it at the checkout.
China is a vital market for Apple at a time when growth has slowed in other parts of the world. Sales from the Greater China region doubled last year to $12.5bn, as the iPhone retains its cache among Chinese consumers.
“China is an extremely important market for Apple and with China UnionPay and support from 15 of China’s leading banks, users will soon have a convenient, private and secure payment experience,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of internet software and services.
Chai Hongfeng, executive vice-president of China UnionPay, said: “China UnionPay is dedicated to promoting payment innovations and providing secure, convenient mobile payment experiences for its hundreds of millions of cardholders.”
UnionPay’s QuickPass technology already allows many cardholders to pay by tapping their credit cards. Last week, UnionPay said more than 20 banks were backing a new mobile payment service. Chinese consumers used their smartphones to make $3.5tn worth of transactions last year but the market is dominated by Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s Tenpay.
