Antitrust investigators said the fruity and nutty cargo cult prevent competitors from accessing "tap and go" chips or near-field communication (NFC) to benefit its own Apple Pay system.

EU's executive vice-president in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestagersaid Brussels had "indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple's devices."

She added that the commission had "preliminarily found that Apple may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution Apple Pay."

Vestager said that if confirmed, "such a conduct would be illegal under our competition rules, The company could face fines worth up to 10 per cent of global turnover if the charges are upheld."