Apple is preparing to roll out its Apple Pay service in India in October, according to a Reuters report dated September 18, 2026. The launch will begin with credit cards issued by Axis Bank, which will serve as the initial banking partner.
Apple has also engaged with two other major private lenders, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, but commercial terms with those institutions have not yet been finalised. The company intends a phased rollout, adding additional banking partners over time.
Apple Pay enables users to make contactless payments by storing tokenised card details on iPhones, eliminating the need for a separate payment app. The service will enter a market where the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) accounts for roughly 84% of digital transaction volume.
Apple’s smartphone presence in India has grown to about an 8% market share since 2022. Axis Bank, the fourth‑largest credit‑card issuer in the country, reported around 16.26 million active cards in July, based on Reserve Bank of India data. Recent regulatory changes permitting biometric authentication for card payments are expected to support the new service.
The launch marks Apple’s first foray into India’s digital‑payments ecosystem, which is heavily dominated by UPI and characterised by rapid adoption of mobile‑based payment methods.
