Brazil became the first Latin American country and overall the twenty-first country where Apple launched its payment method. For 90-day exclusive period, Apple Pay will be initially limited to customers of Itaú Unibanco.
Itaú credit card customers can add their credit card to the Apple Wallet via Scan and register. Itaú Unibanco CEO Marcelo Kopel underlined the high potential a collaboration with Apple Pay, as an estimated 1.2 million Itaú customers own a Iphone 6 or more recent model.
Apple Pay enables contactless payments using NFC technology. Authentication is made via fingerprint (Touch ID) or face recognition (Face ID). The service is compatible with iPhone 6, SE or newer devices.
Apple follows the lead of Samsung Pay and Google Pay, who respectively entered the Brazilian market in 2016 and 2017. Samsung entered agreements with most major Brazilian issuers, including Banco do Brasil, Brasil Pré-Pagos, Caixa, Porto Seguro, and Santander, further partners include Banrisul, Bradesco, Nubank and Itaú Unibanco. Google Pay support various Brazilian banks, also including Itaú Unibanco.
