BRUSSELS, May 2 —EU antitrust regulators charged Apple today with restricting access to its NFC chip technology in a move that could force the iPhone maker to open its mobile payment system to rivals.

"The (European) Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input’) on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay,” the EU competition enforcer said.

The Commission’s decision to send a charge sheet known as a statement of objections to Apple confirmed a Reuters story in October last year. — Reuters