UK CMA proposes opening Apple iPhone NFC access to spur fintech competition

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UK CMA targets iPhone NFC access

Highlights

The UK Competition and Markets Authority proposes requiring Apple to provide fairer, lower-cost access to iPhone NFC technology, targeting reduced fees and improved commercial terms.
Consultation on the proposals ends 17 November 2026, after which the CMA will review responses before making a final decision under the UK digital markets regime.
Wider NFC access for iPhones could enable new fintech products and business models, as contactless payments now represent 39% of all UK payments and over 60% of adults use digital wallets.

Consultation targets iPhone NFC access and pricing

As reported by GOV.UK, citing the Competition and Markets Authority, the proposed measures would require Apple to provide access to the main international standards used for near field communication, or NFC, on iPhones in the UK. The regulator says businesses have raised concerns that Apple’s current access arrangements, fees and other terms may not be commercially workable, while differing technical approaches across markets and platforms can make services harder to scale.

The CMA says the intervention is designed to address two barriers at once, access to the underlying technology and the commercial terms attached to that access. Rather than setting a specific price, it proposes principles for determining fees and conditions, with the expectation that charges would be substantially lower than Apple’s current levels while still fairly rewarding the company for providing access.

The consultation closes on Tuesday 17 November 2026, after which the regulator will assess responses before making a final decision. The proposals sit within the UK’s digital markets regime and are framed by the CMA as a proportionate intervention to support competition in mobile contactless services.

Potential impact on UK fintech and consumer choice

The CMA says wider access to iPhone contactless functionality could support a broader range of products beyond payments, including digital IDs, age-verification tools, travel passes, tickets, loyalty services and digital keys for cars, hotels and workplaces. The regulator argues that better access could create room for new business models in areas such as account-to-account payments and other open banking services.

Contactless technology already plays a central role in daily life in the UK, where contactless payments account for 39% of all payments, up from 3% a decade ago, according to the text. More than 60% of adults use a digital wallet, with Apple Wallet described as the most popular in the market.

The CMA contrasts the UK with the EU, where alternative wallet products have started to launch after Apple agreed to provide NFC access for payments. It says no rival wallet-type product has yet launched in the UK, while Vipps, PayPal, Klarna, Curve and BBVA have moved in the EU market.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, says the proposals could open the door to more innovation, choice and growth in the UK fintech sector by lowering barriers to entry. David Geale, executive director for consumers, payments and competition at the Financial Conduct Authority, says improved access and lower fees should increase competition and give consumers and businesses more choice.

In our earlier article on the Bank of England’s push for “bare metal” recovery planning, we explained why UK regulators want major banks to develop independent fallback systems to keep critical services running if core technology is compromised. The piece highlighted Sarah Breeden’s warning that AI is increasing the scale and complexity of cyber attacks, prompting a broader drive to strengthen operational resilience across the financial system.

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