Apple Pay to launch in China this week

Apple Pay will expand to China this week, according to reports citing remarks made by major banks on Twitter in the country. The news follows Apple’s promise to deploy the payment service in China early this year.

The first bank to announce support for the February 18 launch of Apple Pay is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Reuters said, though there are plenty of other supported bank options that should also go live on the same day.

The Chinese launch of Apple Pay is particularly compelling given that it’s home to the largest smartphone market in the world. Reuters noted that there are more people in China used to paying with their smartphones than the entire population of the entire United States.