The world’s most loved big tech firm, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), is under scrutiny by the Secretariat of the Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) for possible transgressions of Swiss competition laws.
The Secretariat launched a preliminary investigation on December 10, 2025, to determine whether other mobile payment app providers can effectively compete with Apple Pay for contactless payments on iOS devices in shops.
Apple grants third parties access to the NFC interface on iOS devices solely via NFC [near field communication] and SE [secure element] platform. This platform aims to ensure user security and privacy. Third parties must meet strict criteria and ensure adherence to Apple’s security standards.
The Secretariat notes that Apple did not offer external access to NFC on its devices until 2024.
The Secretariat shares that it has been in dialogue with Apple since early 2024 to enable Swiss app providers to access the NFC interface on iOS devices as well.
Apple has been granting Swiss third-party app providers access to the NFC & SE platform on iOS devices since late 2024.
The investigation will determine if Apple’s process complies with Swiss antitrust laws.
