Apple hit with EU anti-trust charge

BRUSSELS: The EU accused Apple yesterday of blocking rivals from its popular “tap-as-you-go” iPhone payment system, opening a fresh battlefront between the US tech giant and Brussels.

The European Commission, the bloc’s competition watchdog, charged the iPhone maker with preventing competitors trying to enter the contact-less market “from accessing the necessary hardware and software ... to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay”.

The battle comes as tech giants eye personal finance as a new moneymaker, with Google, Amazon and Facebook owner Meta also seeking ways to replace credit cards or the need of carrying a wallet.