Apple Pay could reach India as early as October 2026, marking Apple's long-awaited entry into India's digital payments market. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman reported the timeline in his latest Power On newsletter, saying Apple is preparing to launch the service ‘finally’ next month.
Reuters separately reported that Axis Bank could become Apple's first banking partner, with credit cards leading the initial rollout. The service would allow compatible iPhone and Apple Watch users to make contactless payments through NFC terminals using stored card credentials.
The reported Apple Pay India launch could initially focus on Axis Bank credit cards across supported Visa and Mastercard networks. Apple also held discussions with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, although commercial agreements reportedly remain unfinished.
The rollout would give Apple users a native card payment option through Apple Wallet at participating contactless terminals across India.
UPI support remains the biggest uncertainty surrounding the reported Apple Pay launch. Gurman said Apple Pay could support UPI alongside card payments, according to reports. Reuters did not mention UPI as part of the initial rollout, creating a notable difference between the reports. Earlier reports also suggested that Apple could introduce UPI support at a later stage.
The first Apple Pay version could therefore remain focused on contactless card transactions through NFC-enabled payment terminals. Card details would use tokenization, while Face ID, Touch ID, or a device passcode could authenticate transactions. The approach would allow payments without opening a separate payment application during checkout.
Apple's entry comes as UPI continues to dominate India's everyday digital payment ecosystem. UPI processed more than 24 billion transactions during August 2026, according to recent reporting. Apple Pay would initially serve a different use case by focusing on stored cards and NFC-based payments.
Apple did not officially confirm the October launch date or the complete list of supported banks. The final rollout details should clarify whether UPI joins cards from the beginning or arrives later.
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