Apple should open access to contactless payment systems, says regulator

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗
Cite

Saker-Clark, H. (2026, October 20). Apple should open access to contactless payment systems, says regulator. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/nfc-apple-pay-fca-press-association-b1301591.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-20 · by Henry Saker-Clark

Quick Summary

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting on proposals that would require Apple to allow rivals easier access to its near field communication (NFC) technology for contactless payments, citing high fees and technical restrictions as barriers to competition. CMA boss Sarah Cardell argues the changes could boost innovation and economic growth in fintech, while an Apple spokeswoman claims the company already enables secure transactions through apps with strong security standards and opposes lower privacy protections mandated by regulators. The consultation period ends on November 17.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

As of October 20, 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is proposing new rules that would force Apple to open access to its contactless payment technology on iPhones. This move aims to reduce high fees and technical restrictions currently imposed by Apple, making it easier for competitors to innovate. CMA boss Sarah Cardell stated that firms find it difficult to compete due to these barriers set by Apple. The proposals are expected to lower access fees and encourage the development of alternative mobile payment solutions like those seen in the EU, where similar regulations have already led to services from companies such as PayPal becoming available. Despite this, some banks and payment firms remain concerned about the remaining fees charged by Apple.

Written for “Apple Contactless Payment Access” on 2026-10-20, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans left for article 93241 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-20

Story

📰 Apple Contactless Payment Access
Technology · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard · 1.00 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 7% hedged 1 of 15 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe the identical proposal by the CMA for Apple to open its contactless payment system to rivals, with nearly identical wording and publication dates.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
1 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 6105 article(s) · 51 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 51 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Henry Saker-Clark
72 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Apple could be forced to open access to its contactless payment system to rivals under new proposals from the competition watchdog.
🔮 Apple could be forced to open access to its contactless payment system to rivals under new proposals from the competition watchdog.
🔮 Economists have suggested the fresh data shows that the UK economy has had strength in recent months but could come under pressure later this year as inflation accelerates.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · UK economy unexpectedly grows 0.1% in August
🔮 Economists have suggested the fresh data shows that the UK economy has had strength in recent months but could come under pressure later this year as inflation accelerates.
2026-10-15 · mixed framing · UK economy unexpectedly grows 0.1% in August
🔮 The UK economy is forecast to have shrunk in August on the back of a decline in the services sector, according to experts.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · UK economy predicted to decline ahead of Budget
🔮 This would represent a roughly 5% decline on the IPO price and value the company at slightly more than £5 billion. The firm is thought to be the first large African fintech to list on a global stock exchange.
🔮 “What we have seen in recent budgets meant that we have had cut potential investments in hotels, which would have created more jobs.”
🔮 The trade body estimated that around 360 pubs will permanently shut their doors by the end of the year.
🔮 UK economy set to contract after strong start to summer, say experts
🔮 It said it will continue to make certain ale brands, such as Hobgoblin, McEwan’s and Brooklyn, but will look to sell some of its other cask and regional ale brands.
Also by Henry Saker-Clark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 72 articles by Henry Saker-Clark →

Topics

Apple CMA PayPal The Competition and Markets Authority iPhones

Subjects

Apple ORG · 8× CMA ORG · 3× British NORP · 1× Cardell PERSON · 1× PayPal ORG · 1× Sarah Cardell PERSON · 1× The Competition and Markets Authority ORG · 1×

Narrative

An Apple spokeswoman said: “Apple has made it possible for developers in the UK and around the world to securely offer contactless transactions directly within their apps through the NFC and SE Platform – for everything from in-store payments and transit passes to car keys and event tickets.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-20
🔮 Apple could be forced to open access to its contactless payment system to rivals under new proposals from the competition watchdog.
2026-10-20 · Evening Standard
Apple should open access to contactless payment systems, says regulator · assertive framing
2026-10-20 · Evening Standard
Apple should open access to contactless payment systems, says regulator · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 1 hedged)

Apple could be forced to open access to its contactless payment system to rivals under new proposals from the competition watchdog. uncertain
Apple → force → watchdog
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting over proposals which would make it easier for firms to access Apple’s key mobile contactless technology, known as near field communication (NFC). asserted
firms → consult → communication
CMA boss Sarah Cardell said firms have told the regulator that “high fees, strict terms, and technical restrictions” from Apple are making it “too difficult” for challengers to innovate and compete. asserted
challengers → say → Apple
The proposals are also expected to result in lower access fees, the regulator added. asserted
regulator → expect → fees
However, banks and other payment firms have raised concerns over the fees charged by Apple. asserted
banks → raise → Apple
In the EU, Apple has already been required to remove fees and allow access to the contactless chip in iPhones, leading to the launch of alternative mobile wallets from firms including PayPal. asserted
Apple → require → PayPal
An Apple spokeswoman said: “Apple has made it possible for developers in the UK and around the world to securely offer contactless transactions directly within their apps through the NFC and SE Platform – for everything from in-store payments and transit passes to car keys and event tickets. asserted
developers → say → keys
“This solution enables developers and banks to create innovative products and services for their customers and facilitates competition between wallets, while ensuring users’ sensitive data remains protected by the highest security standards. asserted
data → enable → standards
“We do not believe the CMA should require Apple to adopt an approach with lower privacy and security protections. asserted
CMA → believe → protections
“We will continue to engage constructively to reach an outcome that is in the best interest of our users.” asserted
that → continue → users
Ms Cardell said: “These proposals open the door to more innovation, more choice and economic growth, including in the UK’s important fintech sector. asserted
proposals → say → sector
“By removing barriers to entry, we can help create the conditions for brilliant British businesses with great ideas to develop new products and services here – from payment apps and digital IDs to travel passes and digital keys.” asserted
businesses → remove → passes
Read More “Improved access and substantially lower fees should create greater competition and more choice for consumers and businesses. asserted
access → read → consumers
“Opening up this technology will also support the expansion of open banking, enabling more people to make payments directly from their bank accounts.” asserted
Opening → open → accounts
The CMA will close the consultation on Tuesday November 17. asserted
CMA → close → Tuesday
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