Helsinki, Oct 25 (IANS): Apple has launched its mobile payment platform Apple Pay in Finland, Denmark and Sweden, a media report said.

The payment service is now available to Nordea Bank's customers who own iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Mac devices in the three Nordic countries, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

The ubiquitous contactless card readers that Apple Pay uses are found in plenty of retail stores across Finland, the report quoted Yle news as saying.

The service can be used once a user creates an Apple Pay account by binding his/her credit card or debit card issued by Nordea Bank.

According to Yle news, 28 per cent of mobile phones used in Finland are iPhones.

According to Finnish business newspaper Kauppalehti, more banks in Finland will adopt the service, as when a big bank adopts a payment service like Apple Pay, competing banks will likely follow.

The paper believed that Apple will expand its mobile payment in the near future in Europe, when a new EU payment service directive comes into force next year.