Android Pay comes to Belgium

Belgian bank BNP Paribas Fortis and Google today launched Android Pay in Belgium, reports Tech Pulse. The two groups joined forces to bring the smartphone payment system to Belgian consumers.

The system works with near-field communication (NFC), allowing customers to complete a purchase by simply tapping their smartphone against a payment terminal. Stores equipped with the latest payment terminals are automatically compatible with NFC and thus Android Pay.

While neither Google nor the bank have officially announced the launch of the new system in Belgium, the news got out after a tweet was discovered from BNP Paribas Fortis, followed by the announcement of a press event today jointly organised by the bank and Google.

Google was last week already working on the rollout of Android Pay on compatible devices. Android Pay has been around since 2015 but is not yet widely available in continental Europe, which makes Belgium one of the first countries to gain access to the new Google service.