According to Reuters, Russia’s antitrust regulator has set its sights on Apple, saying the US company has removed banking and payment apps from its app store.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service wrote to Apple outlining its concerns about restrictions that will prevent Russian banks from offering services, it said Reuters.
Not only have most Russian banks been removed from the App Store, but users are also unable to install apps from outside the store.
The agency says Apple is showing “signs of violation of anti-monopoly laws” and is asking for a “detailed, reasoned statement on this issue.”
Last month, the US filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of monopolizing the smartphone market through a series of measures, including blocking third-party apps that offer contactless payments.
Earlier this year, the company tried to evade European Commission antitrust charges by offering third-party access to the NFC chip technology in iOS devices.