Apple Pay Could Launch in India in October With Axis Bank Cards
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Apple Pay could finally arrive in India as early as October 2026, with Axis Bank credit cards expected to be part of the initial rollout, according to Reuters. The report, citing three people familiar with the matter, says Apple is preparing to begin the service with one banking partner before expanding to other lenders.
However, Apple has not officially announced an Indian launch date or confirmed the initial list of supported cards and features.
Apple Pay India Launch Could Start With Axis Bank
According to Reuters, Axis Bank is expected to be Apple Pay’s first banking partner in India. Apple has also held discussions with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, but commercial terms with those banks had not been finalized at the time of the report.
The reported rollout would therefore be phased rather than a nationwide launch supporting every major Indian bank from day one.
Axis Bank had approximately 16.26 million active credit cards in July 2026, making it India’s fourth-largest credit-card issuer based on the RBI data cited by Reuters.
How Apple Pay Would Work in India
Apple Pay allows users to add eligible payment cards to Apple Wallet and use an iPhone or Apple Watch for contactless transactions at supported payment terminals.
The service uses tokenized card details rather than directly exposing the physical card number during a transaction. Users can authenticate payments through features such as Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode.
For India, recent regulatory changes allowing biometric authentication for card payments are relevant to Apple’s reported plans.
What Is Currently Reported?
| Feature | Current information |
| Expected launch | October 2026, according to reports |
| First reported banking partner | Axis Bank |
| Initial payment method | Credit cards |
| HDFC Bank | Discussions reported, terms not finalized |
| ICICI Bank | Discussions reported, terms not finalized |
| UPI support | Not officially confirmed |
| Official Apple launch announcement | Not yet confirmed |
What About UPI Support?
UPI is one of the biggest questions surrounding Apple Pay’s reported Indian launch.
Earlier reporting from Business Standard said Apple Pay would initially support Visa and Mastercard credit cards and would not support UPI at launch. The report said UPI integration would require additional approvals and a sponsor-bank arrangement.
More recent reporting has continued to focus on card payments, although some reports have suggested that UPI could eventually be considered. Apple has not publicly confirmed whether UPI will be available when Apple Pay launches in India.
That distinction is important because UPI already accounts for about 84% of India’s digital payment transaction volume, according to Reuters.
Apple Pay and UPI also serve different payment functions. Apple Pay’s reported initial model is based on storing eligible bank cards in Apple Wallet and making contactless card payments, while UPI supports account-to-account payments through India’s domestic payment infrastructure.
Why India Is Important for Apple Pay
India remains a major market for Apple, with the company’s smartphone market share reportedly reaching 8%, double its share in 2022, according to Counterpoint Research data cited by Reuters.
The reported Apple Pay rollout would give iPhone and Apple Watch users another option for making contactless card payments. Apple is also expected to expand support to additional banks over time through separate agreements, according to Reuters.
For now, however, users should treat the October timeline and the reported banking lineup as reported plans rather than officially confirmed launch details.
Apple Pay India Launch What Users Should Know
The latest reports point to an initial Apple Pay rollout involving Axis Bank credit cards, followed by potential expansion to other banks. HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are reportedly in discussions with Apple, while the exact list of eligible cards and payment networks remains to be confirmed.
Apple has yet to publicly announce the Indian launch date, supported cards or whether UPI will be included at launch. Therefore, users should wait for Apple’s official announcement before assuming that a particular card or payment method will work.
If the reported October rollout takes place, it would mark Apple’s entry into one of the world’s largest digital payments markets, beginning with card-based contactless payments rather than a confirmed UPI integration.
