Apple is nearing a launch of Apple Pay in India, aiming to introduce contactless credit card payments through Visa and Mastercard before potentially expanding to UPI integration, signalling a strategic shift in its Indian payments strategy.
Apple is edging closer to a long-awaited launch of Apple Pay in India, with reports suggesting the service could arrive by late September or October and initially focus on credit cards on Visa and Mastercard rather than the country’s Unified Payments Interface, or UPI. The first phase is expected to centre on contactless payments at NFC-enabled point-of-sale terminals through iPhones and Apple Watches.
If the rollout goes ahead as reported, it would give Apple a more direct way into India’s premium credit-card market, where the company has spent months negotiating the fee it would receive on each transaction. According to the reports, Apple has sought a 15 to 20 basis point share of interchange revenue, while some card issuers have pushed back with offers closer to 10 basis points.
The move would also mark a notable shift from Apple’s earlier India plans, which for years appeared tied to UPI. Apple first signalled interest in the market almost a decade ago, but those efforts ran into regulatory and technical difficulties, including concerns around data localisation and the way payments would be routed through India’s digital payments system. Reuters-style reporting in 2026 also indicated that Apple had been talking to major lenders including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, while global networks such as Visa and Mastercard were part of the discussion.
There are, however, signs that any launch could still unfold in stages. Later reports said UPI integration would come only after the initial card-based rollout, and that recent central bank approval for biometric authentication may have helped remove one of the key hurdles. For Apple, the service would extend a broader push in India’s services business, following its return to accepting card payments for App Store purchases and subscriptions after earlier regulatory changes.
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