Apple has filed a scathing response to Australian banks requesting the ability to negotiate to have their own mobile payment apps featured on the iPhone, claiming the country’s “big three” banks are looking to stall Apple Pay’s adoption among consumers to stifle competition. The banks asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for the right to collectively bargain with Apple, and while the ACCC refused their request for interim approval to start the negotiations, the Commission won’t release its final ruling until October.
In Apple’s point-by-point rebuttal of the banks’ request, the company contends that if an Apple Pay “boycott and collective negotiation conduct were permitted to occur, the banks involved will advance in lockstep with the slowest, least willing member of their cartel. This delay is likely to harm consumers and slow the pace of innovation for mobile wallets in Australia.” In an emailed statement to Apple Insider, a representative for the banks said it’s Apple that wants to stifle competition in a country where contactless payment advancements were well underway before they emerged on the scene. “Apple’s submission to the ACCC makes it clear that Apple does not want to give iPhone users the ability to choose an integrated third party wallet of their own preference,” the spokesman said. “Unlike users of Samsung and Android, Apple is blocking access to the NFC function and wants to leave iPhone users with no choice but to use Apple Pay. Their submission to the ACCC claims this lack of choice is in the best interest of Australian consumers. The applicants disagree.”
