Apple Pay could finally enter India in October after 12 years: What to expect

Apple Pay could finally be heading to India next month, potentially ending a wait that has lasted more than a decade. The Cupertino-based tech giant introduced its payment service in the US back in 2014, but it has never officially launched in India despite the country’s enormous digital payments market. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman now reports that the service could arrive in October, although some details about its initial rollout remain unclear. Here’s everything you need to know about the possible Apple Pay India launch, including UPI support, banks and what users could expect.

Apple Pay India launch could bring UPI and card payments

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in India by October, describing the arrival as “finally” happening next month. According to the report, Apple Pay could support UPI alongside card-based payments. That would be particularly significant in India, where UPI has become a central part of everyday digital payments, allowing users to make instant transactions through participating banks and payment apps.

For card payments, Apple Pay allows users to add tokenised card information to compatible Apple devices. Transactions can then be authenticated using Face ID or Touch ID and completed at supported contactless payment terminals. However, UPI support at launch is not yet certain.

Apple Pay India: Which banks could support it?

Reuters reported last week that the iPhone maker is preparing to initially launch Apple Pay with Axis Bank credit cards, while discussions with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are still underway. That report did not mention UPI as part of the initial rollout. There have been several developments around the service in recent months. Bloomberg reported in February that Apple was in discussions with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, along with Visa and Mastercard, with a possible India launch initially expected around the middle of 2026. That timeline passed without a launch. Earlier reports in August also suggested that Apple Pay could initially arrive without UPI, with support potentially added later. Reuters has reported that Apple plans to expand the service to additional lenders through individual agreements. Axis Bank is expected to be the first major banking partner, while commercial agreements with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank had not been finalised at the time of the report.