UPDATED 07:15 EST / DECEMBER 19 2014

Apple is hiring: London team to expand Apple Pay into Europe

europeApple Inc. is gearing up to take Apple Pay global. Apple has advertised a job aimed at forming a new Apple Pay team in London in order to help expand the service across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa (EMEIA).

The advert, first spotted by iClarified, and promptly removed by Apple, stated that Apple Pay is set “to expand across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa”, with the London-based Apple Pay team being responsible for the roll-out of the technology.

The company is also hiring an Apple Pay Site Reliability Engineer in China, whose role will be focused on “the front line customer experience and the back end integration of Apple systems with Apple’s Network and Banking partners”.

Apple Pay’s possible expansion into China has been a hot topic ever since Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma and Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook expressed interest in working together. Talks between Alibaba and Apple have been ongoing since early November.

Meanwhile, in the mere two months since its launch, Apple Pay has taken the U.S. by storm, even though the service is restricted to iPhone 6 or 6 Plus users for in-store purchases. In recent weeks many more banks, start-ups and retail stores have signed up for Apple Pay; the mobile wallet and online payment system now supports credit cards used for 90 percent of purchases in the U.S.

A global roll-out of Apple Pay should come as no surprise, since it has several potential benefits for Apple. Not only will it boost sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but it will also establish Apple Pay as a global payment standard for mobile payments. Not to mention the obvious positive effect it will have on Apple’s revenues.

photo credit: swishphotos via photopin cc

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