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Apple Pay is expected to launch in India by mid-2026 as the company advances discussions with leading banks. Apple Pay was launched in the US in 2014 and has now expanded to 89 other countries. With over 750 million smartphone users, India is a large user base that Apple can no longer ignore.
According to reports, Apple is in advanced talks with HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank, as well as card networks Visa and Mastercard, before the launch in India.
Apple’s primary advantage lies in ecosystem integration. Apple Pay is deeply embedded in the iPhone and Apple Watch ecosystems. Payments are authenticated using Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode. The card information is tokenized so that actual card numbers are not stored on the device or shared with merchants.
Back in 2017, Apple’s services chief Eddy Cue said publicly, “We absolutely want to bring Apple Pay to the market [in India].” What stopped it was the then regulations. India’s payments system required SMS-based one-time passwords (OTP) for authentication. This mechanism did not fit Apple Pay’s Face ID and Touch ID model.
Since then, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced new rules that allow fingerprint and facial recognition for digital transactions. This effectively opened Apple’s authentication model to India for the first time.
UPI dominates digital payments in India, and Apple Pay is expected to support it, along with card-based payments. This dual approach would make it a full-service wallet system.
The competition is immense in India’s digital payment platform market. Big players like Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and Amazon Pay have already built their trusted consumer base.
However, Apple’s payment platform is primarily focused on generating service revenue. According to a Bloomberg report, the company takes a cut of every Apple Pay transaction.
Also Read: How to Send Bulk UPI Payment Requests Through Google Sheets
India represents a strategically important market for Apple due to its size and digital expansion. UPI has transformed how Indians exchange money, enabling cashless QR-based payments.
Apple Pay’s planned entry reflects a broader shift. It shows how global technology firms increasingly target India’s fast-growing fintech ecosystem. With rising digital adoption, supportive regulation, and a vast consumer base, India has become a strategic market opportunity. Competition is set to intensify as international players seek a share of the payments market.
