Apple Pay , Apple 's mobile payment system , is set to become available in China from Thursday 18 February 2016 to customers of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ( ICBC ) . According to ICBC bank officials , the country ’s largest lender will be joined by 19 other Chinese lenders , and several other prospective lenders , as its official trading partners . “Apple Inc’s Apple Pay mobile payment system will be available in China from Feb. 18 for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) customers, bank representatives said in social media posts on Tuesday,” Shu Zhang and Paul Carsten report for Reuters. The China Internet Trade Information Center estimates that China is now the world ’s biggest mobile market , with 318 million mobile payments users by the end of 2015 . Alibaba and Tencent are currently monopolising the Chinese mobile payments market through their WeChat and Alipay payment systems .
Apple Pay , Apple 's mobile payment system , is set to become available in China from Thursday 18 February 2016 to customers of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ( ICBC ) . According to ICBC bank officials , the country ’s largest lender will be joined by 19 other Chinese lenders , and several other prospective lenders , as its official trading partners . The China Internet Trade Information Center estimates that China is now the world ’s biggest mobile market , with 318 million mobile payments users by the end of 2015 . Alibaba and Tencent are currently monopolising the Chinese mobile payments market through their WeChat and Alipay payment systems .