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Samsung buying mobile-pay co. in bid to challenge Apple Pay

February 18, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Samsung is buying mobile-payment startup LoopPay as the Korean phone maker steps up its rivalry with Apple and its payment system on iPhones.

LoopPay works by reproducing the signals from a credit card’s magnetic swipe as users tap a LoopPay device next to a retailer’s card reader. That means LoopPay should work with most retailers’ existing payment terminals. Most other mobile-payment systems, including Apple Pay, require newer terminals with wireless chips called near-field communication, or NFC.

Samsung Electronics Co.’s agreement to buy LoopPay strengthens speculation that Samsung plans to include mobile-payment technology in its next major phone, which is expected to be announced March 1 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The companies didn’t disclose financial terms or say when the transaction will close.