Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Apple Pay India Launch Faces UPI-Dominated Payments Market
Apple Pay lets people use an iPhone or Apple Watch to pay with a supported card.
It has been available in more than 90 countries and regions.
India has not had the service yet.
One reason is that UPI became very popular for payments in India.
UPI lets people send money directly from bank accounts and pay by scanning QR codes.
Apple Pay works differently because it uses a protected digital version of a card.
The first reported Indian bank partner is Axis Bank.
Other banks may join later.
Apple Pay may make card payments easier, but people will likely continue using UPI for many everyday purchases.
Apple Pay, available in more than 90 markets, may reportedly launch in India in October after years of delay.
The service is expected to begin with Axis Bank, while discussions with ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank are reportedly underway.
Unlike UPI apps, Apple Pay stores a tokenized version of an eligible card for contactless payments authenticated by Face ID or Touch ID.
UPI accounts for 84% of India’s digital payments volume and supports bank transfers, QR codes, phone numbers, and tap-to-pay.
Apple Pay could initially appeal to credit-card users, but it is unlikely to replace UPI’s direct bank-account payments or QR-code ecosystem.
- Who
- Apple is preparing the reported launch, initially involving Axis Bank and potentially other Indian lenders.
- What
- Apple Pay may launch in India as a card-based contactless payment service for compatible iPhones and Apple Watches.
- When
- A rollout in October was reported, but the article does not specify a year.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- Apple is entering a large smartphone and payments market, but its card-focused system must adapt to a market where UPI dominates digital payments.
- Global availability
- Apple Pay is available in more than 90 countries and regions.
- Potential launch timing
- The reported rollout is expected in October.
- Initial bank partner
- Axis Bank is expected to be the first participating lender.
- Axis Bank card base
- Axis Bank had 16.26 million active credit cards in July, according to RBI data cited by Reuters.
- UPI share
- UPI accounts for 84% of India’s digital payments volume, according to Reuters.
- Authentication
- Apple Pay supports payment authentication through Face ID or Touch ID.
- Card security
- Apple Pay replaces actual card details with a device-specific account number for merchants.