On Wednesday, payment companies Nexi, Stripe, and Adyen announced the launch of a new service in Italy enabling businesses to accept payments through Apple’s iPhones. Leveraging Apple’s Tap to Pay service, which utilizes near-field communication (NFC) technology, this offering facilitates secure data exchange between devices over short distances.
Nexi, Europe’s largest payments provider in terms of transaction volume, had previously offered shop owners the ability to process payments using their phones via the NexiSoftPOS application. However, this feature was only available on Android devices, excluding Apple’s iOS.
For small businesses, utilizing smartphones for payment processing eliminates the need for dedicated hardware, offering convenience and cost savings. Adyen, primarily focused on e-commerce services for large corporations, is expanding its offerings to include physical stores and is also introducing the Tap to Pay service. Milanese luxury brand Prada will implement this service in its Italian stores, starting with fashion capital Milan.
Competing with Adyen, Stripe also announced its adoption of Apple’s service, emphasising the convenience of accepting contactless payments using a device already ubiquitous among consumers. Ruhi Dang, Stripe’s product manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, highlighted the significance of Tap to Pay on the iPhone for Italian businesses.
