As anticipated, Apple is off the hook in the EU regarding the limitations it has so far imposed on mobile payments, avoiding a possibly very hefty fine. The European Commission (EC), which had opened an investigation into these practices, has accepted Apple's commitments to open access to the iPhones' NFC chips to enable third-party apps to use tap to pay. Apple has committed to allowing third-party bank apps to access the NFC chips to enable tap to pay. So far this has only been possible through Apple Pay, but that is changing in the EU. The EC initially concluded that Apple...
Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/european_commission_approves_apples_concessions_on_third_party_access_to_nfc_for_mobile_payments-news-63680.php