Apple plans Apple Pay launch in India with Axis Bank

Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in India next month, according to a Reuters report published on September 18, 2026. The rollout will begin with Axis Bank credit cards under a phased, bank-by-bank expansion. The debut will initially cover only Visa and Mastercard credit cards, excluding India's dominant Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

The entry comes after the Reserve Bank of India changed its rules in 2025 to permit biometric authentication for card payments. India previously required one-time passwords sent by text message for many card transactions, which conflicted with Apple Pay's Face ID and Touch ID models. The regulatory shift allows Apple to deploy its tokenised payment system without building an India-specific workaround.

Starting with Axis Bank, India's fourth-largest card issuer with roughly 16.26 million active credit cards in July, provides Apple an immediate initial user base. Apple has also held discussions with larger issuers HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, but Reuters reported that commercial terms have not yet been agreed. Axis trails HDFC Bank, SBI Cards, and ICICI Bank in total active cards.

Operating without UPI limits Apple Pay's initial reach. UPI handles roughly 84% of digital payment volume in India across more than 550 million users, with PhonePe and Google Pay collectively processing about 80% of UPI transaction value. In addition, India's payments authority has introduced tap-and-pay features for UPI, positioning Apple Pay inside the smaller card-payment segment at launch.