CMA proposes opening iPhone contactless access to rival wallets

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority is consulting on a conduct requirement that would force Apple to open the iPhone's contactless technology to rival developers on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, with access fees expected to fall substantially.

Why it matters: No firm has launched a wallet to compete with Apple Wallet in Britain, while the EU access deal produced five rival payment apps within months, so the consultation is the first test of whether Britain's digital markets regime can reproduce that opening.

Data as of Competition and Markets Authority press release and consultation page, both published October 20, 2026 on GOV.UK and read in full; the underlying consultation document runs to 147 pages. Payment shares are UK Finance and Which? figures as cited by the CMA. Developing item.

The Competition and Markets Authority opened a consultation on Tuesday on a proposed conduct requirement under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 that would require Apple to give developers access to the iPhone’s near field communication technology on fair, reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory terms. Apple currently offers UK developers only the secure element standard, and the proposals would require it to offer host-based card emulation as well, alongside pricing principles the CMA expects to leave access charges substantially lower than Apple’s current fees, without the regulator setting the price itself. Contactless payments now account for 39 percent of all UK payments and Apple Wallet is the country’s most used digital wallet, yet no British rival wallet has launched, a gap the CMA contrasted with the EU, where Vipps, PayPal, Klarna, Curve and BBVA launched after Apple agreed to open access there; the consultation closes on November 17, 2026, with a final decision to follow.

CMA proposes opening iPhone contactless access to rival wallets

Sources