There are reports that Google Wallet’s first departure outside the US will be in the UK to take advantage of next year’s Olympic games in London.
Finextra points to a French article which suggests that French point-of-sale technology vendor Ingenico is to be involved in the p[roject, beginning in the first quarter of 2012.
If Google feels that Wallet has shown enough promise since launch in the US, then it would make sense for it to start testing it on other markets. And with other providers, such as Lloyds Bank and VISA looking to introduce wide-scale contactless payments during the Olympic games, then there should be plenty of interest in this way of paying for goods and services.
By starting at the beginning of next year it may also help to steal a march on Apple’s inevitable entry into mobile payments, whether that’s through an NFC-enabled iPhone 5 or another method they might break onto the market.
Here’s Google Wallet in action: