When will be Apple Pay available in North Macedonia?

Read the article and you’ll understand the challenges North Macedonia and its citizens face.

>>Policy Recommendations

1. Explain the benefits of digitalisation and the digital access to public services to citizens, in particular to the older generations.
2. Convince reluctant institutions of the benefits of being a part of the digital system and offering digital services.
3. Establish an Agency for Digitalisation and Registers and an institution tasked with cyber-security in the public administration.

Abstract

Since 2019, North Macedonia has been trying to digitalise its public services and install digital wallets in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing. The authors of this Policy Brief outline the many political, social and administrative benefits that a fast implementation of these services would have.

The process, however, remains slow, and is riddled with problems coming from both citizens – due to a lack of knowledge, trust, and digital skills – and institutions, because of the need for legal amendments, inertia, the lack of understanding the benefits and trust in other institutions.<<

>>https://www.oegfe.at/policy-briefs/digital-europeanisation-in-north-macedonia-slowly-moving-forward/<<

Of course i am posting a screenshot, please inform me if you need translation of it. (Rest of the message is about alternative payments that people here are looking for since there is no official availability)

Thats why i am saying that it seems Apple sadly is selective.

So post a screenshot of the bank’s statement on their official letterhead. The banking regulations the Macedonian government has prohibits several critical functions of Apple Pay. Since you’re convinced the banks >have done every step for the support of Apple Pay< I guess your government has no interest in your privacy or security of your financial and personal information.

Nobody here knows the answer, as Apple has made no announcements on this subject.

Banks in Macedonia are saying that they have done every step for the support of Apple Pay so probably Apple has no interest in some countries and making the service available for them, it’s quite sad that Apple is selective in which countries the service will be available and which are not worthy of it.

And also to reply to the statement for the government regulations they say that they have not prohibited anything by talks with even National Bank representatives. People do believe that Apple is selective and neglecting some countries by not providing any information as to why is not available as Apple do when a country is doing request for accounts and payments. As its called transparency.

Any thoughts or advice so the people that do read this posts and the people that we talk on macedonian forums would not find it true that Apple is selective and neglectful?

Because usually silence is seen as agreeing to all i have pointed out prior.

goranfromveles wrote:

Because usually silence is seen as agreeing to all i have pointed out prior.

That is certainly incorrect in my case! I completely support Jeff Donald’s responses.

Further, as you know from the conditions you accepted to use these Communities, polling is not accepted here. “Agreement” by the readers here is irrelevant and certainly not something you should be seeking.

Completely agree sir, on the other hand its unfair to be polling that a country or a bank is not doing something where I clearly posted statement. Its not nice as level 10 experienced members here to be stating that government of a country is prohibiting several critical functions. I was not polling, i was merely answering on a request to publish a bank statement and to ask for an answer or a thought. Didn’t even thought that an experienced member can say that a “country is prohibiting several critical functions” without pointing out which.

That one is old sir, there is a new one, please take a look.

https://www.undp.org/north-macedonia/blog/north-macedonia-sets-benchmark-digital-readiness-region

There was a new law implemented from beginning of 2024 and Google Wallet is present already because of those changes.

Google Wallet is irrelevant in a discussion of Apple Wallet and Apple Pay, because they use different technologies and Google has lower privacy standards.

The article you shared shows progress, yet still raises issues to be addressed. Each of the seven points in the article show improvement, but also lists improvements that still need to be made. In fact it highlights how change doesn’t happen overnight, and your country probably has several years to go before it’s ready.