After more than a decade since its global debut, Apple Pay is said to be coming to India soon. As per the report, Apple is in developing talks with major Indian banks and online payment companies to introduce its contactless payment service in the country. The new service is expected to arrive in mid-2026 (timeline unspecified by the company yet).
Apple Pay may finally arrive in India
Apple Pay was first launched in the United States in September 2014 and later expanded to several global markets. However, India, which is one of the world’s largest digital payments ecosystems, has so far remained outside its footprint.
Apple in talks with major Indian Banks
- As per the reports, Apple is said to be in discussions with the leading financial institutions like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.
- The company is also said to be negotiating with global card networks like Visa and Mastercard regarding fee structures and transaction partnerships.
- Earlier expectations suggested that the service would arrive in India by late 2025, but it did not turn up. Now, as per the fresh developments, it is indicated that Apple may fast-track the rollout to mid-2026.
UPI and card payment support are expected
A number of industry sources have claimed that Apple Pay will initially support credit- and debit-card-based contactless payments. Integration with India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is expected to follow.
The service is likely to support UPI via National Payments Corporation of India, which will operate the digital payments of Indian infrastructure under the regulation of the Reserve Bank of India.
However, regulatory approvals and compliance requirements are reportedly the main factors behind the phased integration of UPI.
Apple Pay’s competition in India’s Digital Payments Market
If launched, Apple Pay will enter a highly competitive Indian digital payments market which is already dominated by a number of homegrown and global players like BHIM UPI, PhonePe, Amazon Pay and Google Pay, to name a few.
India has strongly adopted the UPI-based transactions that present both an opportunity and a challenge for Apple as it seeks to expand its ecosystem services in the country.
What this means for iPhone users in India
If Apple Pay launches as expected, iPhone users in India will be able to gain seamless contactless payments integrated within the Apple ecosystem. This may further include secure tokenised transactions, biometric authentication via Face ID or Touch ID, and wallet-based digital payments.
However, with great features comes great responsibility to be secured, and users must read and understand all the norms and rules before activating the contactless payment in India.
Overall, by the time of writing, Apple has not yet officially confirmed the launch timeline or partnerships yet.