BRUSSELS — The European Commission announced on Thursday that it has accepted Apple”s legally binding commitment to allow third-party access to its contactless payment technology, a move aimed at boosting competition in the mobile payment sector.

The decision follows a formal antitrust investigation initiated in June 2020, which concluded in 2022 with a preliminary finding that Apple had abused its dominant market position by restricting third-party access to Near-Field Communication (NFC), or “tap-and-go”, technology on iOS devices.

In response, Apple proposed in…