Apple Pay may launch in India next month: Report
The service was first launched in the US in 2014. At the time, Apple Pay was expected to launch around the middle of 2026, but that timeline did not happen.
Apple Pay could finally launch in India as early as October, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in India “finally” next month. Axis Bank is expected to be Apple’s first major banking partner when Apple Pay launches in India, according to Reuters. The company is also in discussions with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, although commercial agreements with those lenders had not been finalised, according to the report. A Bloomberg report in February said Apple was in talks with Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, as well as Visa and Mastercard.
The service is expected to support card payments, while there are also reports that Apple could bring UPI support to the platform. Apple is reportedly preparing to support Axis Bank credit cards initially. Apple has reportedly been discussing its India plans with several major banks and payment networks for months.
Earlier reports had also suggested that Apple Pay could initially launch without UPI, with support potentially added later.