Apple is preparing to bring its digital payment service to India by October, targeting the premium credit card market.
Apple Pay will initially support Visa and Mastercard credit cards, while UPI payments will not be available at launch.
Highlights
- Apple Pay is expected to launch in India by October 2026.
- The service will initially support credit cards issued on Visa and Mastercard networks.
- UPI transactions will not be supported when Apple Pay launches.
- Apple would need NPCI approval to introduce UPI payments.
- A sponsor bank partnership would also be required for routing UPI transactions.
- Apple is reportedly negotiating transaction fees with Indian banks.
Apple Pay is set to enter the Indian digital payments market by October 2026, according to a Business Standard report citing three people familiar with the development. The launch would give Apple a presence in India’s premium credit card payments segment.
At the initial stage, Apple Pay will support credit cards operating on global payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard. The service is expected to use the same broad framework Apple follows in its other international markets.
However, one of India’s biggest payment systems will be missing from Apple Pay at launch. The service will not initially support transactions through the Unified Payments Interface, or UPI.
For Apple to introduce UPI functionality, it would need clearance from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The company would also have to partner with a sponsor bank to route UPI transactions.
This means the initial rollout is likely to focus primarily on iPhone users who use eligible Visa and Mastercard credit cards rather than the much wider base of consumers who depend on UPI for everyday digital payments.
The entry could still give Apple access to India’s premium credit card segment. Apple Pay allows users to make digital payments using compatible Apple devices, providing another payment option without relying on the physical card during supported transactions.
According to the report, Apple is also negotiating transaction fees with banks ahead of the proposed launch. The company’s model could allow it to earn a fee on transactions conducted through Apple Pay.
UPI’s absence at launch, however, will be an important limitation in the Indian market, where the payment system is widely used for everyday transactions. Whether Apple eventually adds UPI will depend on the necessary regulatory clearance and banking partnership.
For now, the planned October launch indicates that Apple is preparing to enter India’s digital payments ecosystem through credit cards first, with any potential UPI integration coming separately.
