BRUSSELS -- The European Commission announced on Thursday that it has accepted Apple's legally binding commitment to allow third-party access to its contactless payment technology, a move aimed at boosting competition in the mobile payment sector.

The decision follows a formal antitrust investigation initiated in June 2020, which concluded in 2022 with a preliminary finding that Apple had abused its dominant market position by restricting third-party access to Near-Field Communication (NFC), or "tap-and-go", technology on iOS devices.

In response, Apple proposed in January 2024 to provide third-party wallet providers free access to the NFC functionality on their devices without requiring them to use Apple Pay or Apple Wallet.

The European Commission tested and amended the commitment based on feedback from interested parties, leading to its final acceptance by the European Union (EU).

The commitments, now effective for 10 years, will be applied across the European Economic Area (EEA).

Apple said in a statement that it is providing developers in the EEA with the option to enable NFC contactless payments and contactless transactions for uses such as car keys, corporate badges, hotel keys, and concert tickets.

Complying with these commitments will save Apple from potential fines, as breaches of EU competition law can result in penalties of up to 10 percent of a company's annual global revenue.