Apple to defend mobile payment system at Feb. 14 EU hearing, sources say

FILE PHOTO: A man talks on a phone in front of an Apple logo outside its store, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 7, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Apple Inc will seek to convince EU antitrust regulators that it does not block rivals' access to its technology used for mobile wallets at a closed hearing on Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said, the last chance for it to do so before possible hefty fines.

The hearing, which senior European Commission and national competition officials, Apple executives and complainants will attend, comes nine months after the EU competition watchdog accused the company of abusing its market power.