Norwegian fintech player Vipps debuted its MobilePay offering on iPhones, making it the first alternative to Apple Pay after European Union regulations forced the tech giant to open up its NFC-based payments system.

The company’s mobile wallet allows for a variety of payments in Norway, including transferring money, paying in-store, and raising funds for private purposes. Customers of more than 40 local banks will be able to use the Vipps payment app, with the company’s tap-to-pay technology set to operate at all card terminals accepting BankAxept cards, the national payment system in Norway.

Users will also be able to set the app as the default payment option on their iPhones, The Verge reports.

Since launching in 2014, Apple Pay has remained the only tap-to-pay option on iPhones. However, the European Commission declared the service anti-competitive in July 2024. With the launch of Apple’s iOS 18.1 update, the company unlocked its NFC APIs to third-party developers.

In a statement, Vipps MobilePay CEO Rune Garborg explained it had been important for the company “to launch as quickly as possible”, after Apple opened up, pointing to the potential of facing tough competition. “We will continuously add more simplifications, international cards, and more banks,” he added.

The company anticipates expanding the service to Visa and Mastercard cards before mid-2025.