Follow the money: Who benefits from the UK’s Apple Pay crackdown?

The UK wants to take a chunk out of Apple Pay, as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) moves to force Apple to open access to its 12-year-old contactless payment system to rivals. The regulator has published a consultation document that proposes requiring Apple to allow competitors to use the near-field communication (NFC) chip on its devices to enable alternative payment systems on iOS on “fair, reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory terms.” The regulator says action is required because UK businesses have complained that Apple’s existing NFC access arrangements are not commerci