伦敦，10月20日——英国竞争监管机构周二表示，该机构正试图削弱苹果公司在非接触式支付领域的垄断地位，建议苹果公司降低相关费用并消除技术障碍，以帮助其他支付服务与Apple Pay竞争。
LONDON, Oct 20 - Britain's competition regulator said on Tuesday it was seeking to loosen Apple's grip on contactless payments by proposing that the company lower fees and remove technical barriers, helping rival services compete with Apple Pay.
英国竞争与市场管理局（CMA）称，这些措施将大幅降低使用苹果非接触式支付服务的费用，并使更多用户能够更方便地使用该技术，从而为数字银行及其他支付服务提供商创造竞争机会。
The Competition and Markets Authority said its proposals would result in "substantially lower access fees" and easier access to Apple's contactless technology, opening the market to competition from digital banks and other providers.
CMA指出，这些提议的约束性比欧盟在2024年制定的规定要宽松得多；欧盟当时的规定要求第三方钱包开发者必须获得苹果公司的授权才能使用其支付技术。自那时起，包括Vipps、PayPal、Klarna、Curve和BBVA在内的多家公司都推出了自己的支付应用程序。
The proposed measures are less onerous than those imposed by the European Union in 2024, which included giving third-party wallet developers free access. Since then, companies including Vipps, PayPal, Klarna, Curve and BBVA have launched alternative payment apps, the CMA said. CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the proposals would open the door to more innovation and more choice, as well as boosting Britain's important fintech sector.
CMA首席执行官莎拉·卡德尔（Sarah Cardell）表示，这些提议将促进更多创新和更多选择，同时也有助于推动英国重要的金融科技产业发展。她表示：“我们了解到，高昂的费用、严格的条款以及苹果公司设置的技术限制严重阻碍了其他企业的创新与竞争。通过消除这些进入壁垒，我们可以为那些拥有出色创意的英国企业创造有利条件，让它们能够在这里开发新的产品和服务——无论是支付应用程序、数字身份认证系统，还是旅行通行证、数字钥匙等。”
"We have heard that high fees, strict terms, and technical restrictions relating to Apple's contactless technology make it too difficult for challengers to innovate and compete," she said. "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." The CMA is consulting on the proposals until November 17, before making a final decision.
CMA表示，非接触式支付方式的普及速度非常快，目前已占所有支付方式的39%（而十年前这一比例仅为3%）；超过60%的成年人使用数字钱包，其中Apple Wallet在英国是最受欢迎的支付工具。
Contactless payments have grown rapidly in popularity, accounting for 39% of all payments, compared with just 3% a decade ago, the CMA said. More than 60% of adults use a digital wallet, with Apple Wallet the most popular in Britain, it added.
苹果公司回应称，该公司早已允许开发者通过NFC技术在其应用程序中实现非接触式支付功能（NFC技术允许iPhone与支付终端或读卡器进行通信），同时苹果还提供了安全存储机制（用于存储信用卡信息及加密密钥等敏感数据）。
Apple said it had already made it possible for developers to offer contactless payments in their apps through NFC, which allows an iPhone to talk to a payments terminal or reader, and through its secure element, which stores sensitive material such as card credentials and cryptographic keys.
该公司表示，这使得开发者能够创建产品和服务，包括店内支付、交通卡和活动门票，同时确保用户的敏感数据受到最高安全标准的保护。
The company said this allowed developers to create products and services, including in-store payments, transit passes and event tickets, while ensuring users' sensitive data remained protected by the highest security standards.
“我们不认为竞争与市场管理局应要求苹果采取一种隐私和安全保护较低的做法，”苹果发言人表示。
"We do not believe the CMA should require Apple to adopt an approach with lower privacy and security protections," an Apple spokesperson said.
“我们将继续建设性地参与，以达成符合我们用户最佳利益的结果。”
"We will continue to engage constructively to reach an outcome that is in the best interest of our users."