Apple Pay may finally come to India next month; Axis bank tie-up reported

Apple Pay could make its India debut as soon as October 2026, with Axis Bank being its first major banking partner. Initially, the banking app could support contactless payments via Axis Bank credit cards, according to a report by Reuters. In the beginning, the tech giant could start its India operation with just one major bank and gradually expand support to other lenders later.

India is one major country where Apple Pay services are unavailable, and the move would allow the company to expand its payment service in the country and potentially expand its presence in the country's digital payments ecosystem.

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Apple has also been in talks with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank; however, neither bank has finalised a deal with Apple yet due to commercial terms.

How does Apple Pay work? 

Apple Pay lets iPhone users make contactless payments directly with their iPhone without having to open a separate payment app. Users simply need to add an eligible debit or credit card as a tokenised version rather than using the actual card number for transactions.

When paying using a compatible card machine, users can tap their iPhone to the terminal to complete the payment. So iPhone users do not need to open any banking or payments app each time to make a payment.

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India’s efforts to expand contactless payment

Just ahead of Apple Pay launch in India, NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) upgraded Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based services with Tap & Pay feature, using MyUPI platform. This replaces the traditional scan-and-pay process and leverages Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled phones to make contactless payments.

Therefore, smartphone users can still make contactless payments by tapping their NFC-enabled phones at compatible terminals, offering an alternative to the traditional scan-and-pay method. Whereas iPhone users will get digital payment upgrades with Apple Pay, potentially starting next month.