Apple Pay Set To Launch In India Next Month With Axis Bank As First Partner

Apple is reportedly set to launch its Apple Pay service in India next month, starting with support for Axis Bank credit cards. The move would bring the payment service to one of the few major economies where it has so far remained unavailable. Apple Pay's entry has been delayed in the Indian market due to bank rates and government hurdles, but it now looks like the tech giant has managed to iron out long-pending issues.

Reuters cites people familiar with the matter to report that Apple's India rollout will begin with just one major banking partner rather than a broad multi-bank launch, with the company working to expand support among the country's lenders over time. Axis Bank, which the report notes is India's fourth-largest credit card issuer, has been identified as that initial partner.

Why India matters for Apple Pay

The launch would mark a significant expansion for Apple Pay into the world's most populous country, a market Apple has been steadily building out its retail and services presence in over recent years. India's absence from Apple Pay's global footprint has stood out given the country's rapidly growing digital payments ecosystem, dominated domestically by UPI-based systems, making Apple's entry a notable test of how the service fits alongside India's existing payment rails.

What is Apple Pay?

For all those unaware, Apple Pay is Apple's contactless mobile payment and digital wallet service, allowing users to make payments in stores, apps, and online using an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac, without needing a physical card. It works by securely storing tokenized versions of a user's debit and credit cards on the device, using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode for authentication instead of transmitting actual card numbers during a transaction. Beyond retail payments, Apple Pay also supports peer-to-peer transfers, transit payments in select cities, and integration with loyalty cards and boarding passes.

As of now, Apple Pay is available in more than 90 countries and regions worldwide, spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and parts of the Middle East and Latin America, though India has remained a notable gap in that footprint until now.