Android Pay Gains More Issuer Support in Australia

More banks in Australia are lining up support for Android Pay, giving Google's contactless payment system some firmer footing in international markets.

Australian banks ANZ and Westpac are expected to offer customers the Android Pay option within the next couple of months, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Other Australian banks that have lined up behind Android Pay include St. George Bank, Bank of Melbourne and Bank of South Australia, which will provide Android Pay as subsidiaries of ANZ and Westpac. They join Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, ING Direct, Macquarie Bank and Cuscal, which had previously committed to the mobile wallet.

In March, Google announced Android Pay's move into the U.K. behind key banking partners. The new issuers are key to enabling Android Pay to gain a secure foothold against Apple Pay in the global market.

Android Pay launched in September of 2015 in the U .S., a year after Apple Pay debuted. Google's mobile wallet operates through Near Field Communication contactless payments and Host Card Emulation to bypass the secure element on a handset. Android Pay's predecessor, Google Wallet, had stumbled because of tussles with mobile network operators over access to the secure element for storing card credentials.

Both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay operate through NFC but use the secure element on handsets. Samsung Pay also falls back on a system for wirelessly duplicating a magstripe signal.

Apple Pay launched in Australia through an agreement with American Express in late November of 2015.

That news came just a day after Apple Pay moved into Canada with the same arrangement with American Express. Last month, Apple expanded its reach in Canada with several more issuers pledging support for the mobile wallet.