ICBC confirmed the Apple Pay launch, though it won’t be the only bank on board to support the service. It is, however, the country’s largest lender, according to Reuters. The Chinese state radio station said two more banks, China Construction Bank and China Guangfa Bank, are also planning to support Apple Pay on Thursday, and the remaining 16 banks Apple has listed on its Chinese website are expected not long after.
The fact that Apple has backing from China’s biggest banks is huge—the company has faced backlash from banks in Britain and Australia. But Apple has stiff competition in China, where mobile payments are already popular, unlike in the U.S. The Chinese use established services like Tencent’s WeChat Payment and Alipay to pay with their phones, and it’s unclear if Apple Pay’s selling points, like its seamless integration with the iPhone hardware, are compelling enough to convince people to switch.
The story behind the story: Apple partnered with payment network UnionPay to bring Apple Pay to China this year, and Samsung announced a similar deal with the network to bring Samsung Pay to the country, too. Apple will have an easier time winning over people in China and Europe, where mobile payments are far more common than in the States, but it also faces more rivals who have more experience in those markets than Apple does.
Apple is reportedly eyeing France as its next big market, according to 9to5Mac, but that rollout might happen later this year so Apple can focus on China for now.