Apple Pay may finally be getting its India moment, and honestly, it feels overdue. According to a new report from Business Standard, Apple is working toward launching Apple Pay in India by the end of 2026.
The service is not live yet, and there are still regulatory boxes to tick, but the wheels are clearly in motion. Apple is said to be actively coordinating with banks, regulators, and card networks to make it happen.
Apple Pay in India is no longer just a rumor
Apple Pay has been around for more than a decade and already operates in 89 markets worldwide. India sticking out as a major gap has always felt strange, especially given how mobile-first the country’s payment ecosystem is. If this report is accurate, Apple is finally ready to close that gap.
Once approved, Apple Pay in India is expected to support Tap to Pay on iPhone. That means users could make contactless payments directly at NFC-enabled point-of-sale terminals using their iPhone, without needing any extra hardware. For everyday purchases, it would work much like Apple Pay does elsewhere: authenticate, tap, and go.
That said, none of this happens without negotiations. Apple reportedly still needs to finalize fee structures with major card issuers for access to the payment gateway, which has historically been a sticking point in some markets.
The UPI question, and why Apple is cautious
No conversation about payments in India is complete without UPI. It dominates digital transactions and has reshaped how people pay for everything from groceries to cab rides.
Interestingly, the report suggests Apple is unlikely to pursue third-party application provider approval for UPI in the near term. In simpler terms, Apple Pay probably will not plug directly into UPI anytime soon. Instead, Apple seems more focused on launching its existing Apple Pay framework first, built around cards and NFC.
That does not mean Apple Pay has zero presence today. Indian merchants already interact with Apple Pay in limited ways. Last year, Cashfree Payments and Razorpay integrated Apple Pay to support international payments, mainly for global customers. A full domestic rollout, however, would be a very different milestone.
The timing makes sense for Apple
This push comes at a strong moment for Apple in India. According to IDC data, Apple shipped 5 million iPhones in India during Q3 2025, its highest quarterly figure ever in the country. That performance helped Apple secure fourth place in the Indian smartphone market for the first time.
In other words, Apple has momentum. More iPhones in users’ hands makes a local Apple Pay launch far more viable than it would have been a few years ago. Payments are sticky services, and once users adopt them, they tend to stay.
Why Apple Pay in India actually matters
Apple Pay launching in India would not suddenly replace UPI, and Apple probably knows that. Instead, it would give iPhone users a native, secure, and globally consistent way to pay, especially useful for international cards, travel, and higher-end retail experiences.
It also signals something bigger. Apple is no longer just selling hardware in India. It is slowly building out its services ecosystem, one piece at a time. Apple Pay would be another step in making the iPhone feel fully at home in the Indian market.
If the approvals fall into place, 2026 could finally be the year Apple Pay taps in.
