After all the rumors, Apple Pay could finally be coming to India. As reported by Business Standard, Apple’s mobile payment service is gearing up for an entry into the Indian market by the end of 2026, pending approval. This would be the first time Apple Pay has entered one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile payment markets, where UPI is the most dominant form of payment.

Apple Pay is already operational in 89 countries, and India has been a long-awaited piece in the payments puzzle that Apple has been trying to complete. According to sources, Apple has been holding talks with the authorities and banks to ease its entry.

What Apple Pay Will Offer Initially

When it is launched, it is expected that Apple Pay in India will initially concentrate on its contactless ‘tap-to-pay’ functionality. This enables consumers to make payments by merely tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch on the point-of-sale terminal using near-field communication (NFC).

Users will be able to save their credit and debit card information in the Apple Wallet and make transactions without having to swipe their physical cards. This is how Apple Pay works in most countries around the world, especially where contactless card transactions are common.

However, Apple Pay will not work like UPI apps such as Google Pay, PhonePe, or Paytm. Apple Pay does not support QR payments and peer-to-peer transactions and is only compatible with Apple devices.

Obstacles in Regulation and Banking

For Apple Pay to be launched, Apple needs to complete the commercial agreements with Indian banks and card issuers. This includes the cost of routing payments through the Apple platform.

At the moment, Indian consumers are not able to add their credit or debit cards to Apple Wallet, which underlines the fact that the ecosystem is still in its infancy. Approvals and compliance with the payments system in India will be essential before any launch.

Apple Pay is managed by Apple Payments Services, which is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. and is only available on Apple devices such as iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and Macs.

Why India is Important to Apple

The timing of the possible launch of Apple Pay is important. The presence of Apple in India has been increasing steadily, both as a manufacturing hub and as a market.

As per the data from IDC, Apple achieved its highest quarterly shipments ever in the Indian market in the September quarter of 2025, reaching 5 million units. This increases the overall base of iPhone users in the country, making the case for Apple’s ecosystem services, such as payments, even stronger.

Although Apple Pay may not be able to disrupt the daily payments system led by UPI at least in the short term, it may appeal to the high-end customer base, international travelers, and card-carrying users, especially in metros where NFC terminals are already established.

The Bigger Picture

Apple Pay’s entry into India, if approved, will be more about locking in the ecosystem than adoption. It further cements Apple’s strategy of not only making India a hardware market but also a services-driven growth engine.

The question now is not whether Apple Pay will come to India, but how quickly the infrastructure will allow it to scale.

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