Apple Pay now available in Belgium

Apple Pay launched in Belgium this week, allowing shoppers to pay for goods by waving their iPhone or Apple Watch over the card machine.

The arrival of Apple's payment service could boost the popularity of contactless transactions, which have been lagging behind in Belgium compared to some other European countries.

Only 4% of electronic payments in Belgian retail outlets are contactless, compared with 93% in the Czech Republic and 51% in the Netherlands. About four in 10 Belgian bank cards have the contactless function enabled.

Apple Pay in Belgium is currently only available to customers of BNP Paribas Fortis bank. Other banks including KBC and Belfius have reportedly shown an interest in joining the scheme.

Google Pay went live in Belgium last year. Apple Pay is already available in the UK, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland.