Just a few days after its rival Samsung Pay expanded its service to include the Russian market, Apple Pay launched its own mobile payment service in the country.
The move was first spotted by Reuters, and confirmed by the launch of Apple Pay’s Russian website.
Apple said its Apple Pay service in Russia will launch with two initial partners, including Sberbank and Mastercard. Sberbank customers with a debit or credit Mastercard will be able to use the service at a number of retailers, including grocery chain Atak, BP and Media Markt. Burger King is also expected to join the Apple Pay fold soon, the company said.
Russia marks the 10th country where Apple Pay services are now available. The service was launched in 2014.
The Russian launch of Apple Pay, though, comes just days after mobile payment rival Samsung Pay launched its own platform in the country.
Samsung said its payment service initially includes six local bank partners, including Alfa-Bank, VTB24, MTS Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, Russian Standard Bank and Yandex Money.
Unlike Apple Pay, Samsung Pay uses both NFC and magnetic stripe technology, making it compatible with most payment terminals where credit cards are accepted.
Samsung Pay’s Russia launch comes just after the one year anniversary of its launch in the United States.
According to Samsung, Samsung Pay now supports more than 500 banks and credit unions, covering 80 percent of the debit and credit card market in the United States. The system also now includes an in-app coupon service and cloud storage for membership, gift and rewards cards.
