Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Service, introduces Apple Pay during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014.
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Service, introduces Apple Pay during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. Reuters/Stephen Lam

Bank Australia is now offering Apple Pay. Australia’s first customer-owned bank announced on Tuesday that it is joining several banks and credit unions in Australia that are using Apple’s contactless payment app.

For the company, signing up with Apple Pay is the obvious next step. More than 60 percent of its nearly 130,000 customers around the country use Apple device when accessing the bank’s digital banking services via mobile.

“Bank Australia is proud to be among the early financial institutions in Australia to offer its customers Apple Pay,” Bank Australia Managing Director Damien Walsh said in a statement. “Our customers have been asking us for Apple Pay, and we’re excited to respond.”

The announcement follows Cuscal’s deal with Apple Pay earlier this month, which allowed 31 of the banks and credit unions under it to use the app. Cuscal is one of the country’s largest card issuers, and Bank Australia is one of its clients.

Read more: Apple Pay wins deal with 31 Australian banks, credit unions

Apple Pay was previously only available to American Express and ANZ customers in Australia. Apple is still in dispute with the country’s other major banks – CBA, NAB and Westpac – and several others over the access to the tech giant’s NFC antenna. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) is assessing the case.

Apple Pay in Australia: ACCC denies big banks authority to bargain with Apple

Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet that allows users to make payments using their some of their Apple devices, including iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE and Apple Watch. The users’ credit or debit card numbers are not stored on the device or on Apple servers; instead the service assigns a unique Device Account Number to users’ device to make each transaction more secure.

RELATED STORIES