Apple Pay could finally be heading to India later this year, nearly a decade after the service first launched globally. The service is reportedly being lined up for a late September or October 2026 launch.
According to a Business Standard report, Apple is negotiating with card-issuing banks over the commission it will earn from Apple Pay transactions. Apple is reportedly seeking 15 to 20 basis points per transaction, while some banks are pushing for a lower rate of around 10 basis points.
The proposed fee would reportedly come from the banks' existing interchange revenue, meaning customers and merchants would not directly bear the additional cost. This is also the same issue that reportedly delayed Apple Pay's India launch earlier this year, with Apple's technical groundwork already said to be in place.
Apple Pay is expected to initially support credit cards on Visa and Mastercard in India. Users could add eligible cards to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments through NFC-enabled iPhones and iPads at compatible payment terminals.
However, UPI support is unlikely to be available at launch. Bringing UPI to Apple Pay would require approval from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and a sponsor bank, making the process more complicated.
This would mean Apple is likely to take a phased approach in India, starting with card payments and potentially adding UPI support later. Earlier reports had also pointed towards a similar rollout strategy.
Pine Labs CEO Amrish Rau, cited by Business Standard, expects Apple Pay to enter India before the end of 2026. He also noted that credit card transactions are growing by around 10 to 15%, even as UPI continues to dominate digital payments.
Apple has not officially confirmed its India launch plans yet and the company reportedly did not respond to Business Standard's request for comment. So, while late September or October appears to be the current target, the timeline should still be treated as tentative until Apple makes an official announcement.
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