Apple Inc. is in talks with Indian private lenders to launch its payment services in India by mid-2026.
Discussions are ongoing with Mastercard Inc., Visa Inc., ICICI Bank Ltd., HDFC Bank Ltd. and Axis Bank Ltd..
Launch timeline remains fluid, the report said.
iPhone maker Apple is in talks with some Indian private lenders to introduce its payment services in India by the middle of 2026, reported Bloomberg. Currently, the service is only available for cross-border transactions.
The report, citing sources, claimed that discussions are also going on with payment networks Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc., along with banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.
3 February 2026
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However, the report noted that the launch timeline remains fluid.
According to the news agency, Apple Pay’s India launch is expected to support the country’s state-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI), along with card-based payments. Apple Pay uses Face ID or Touch ID to authorise payments made in-store via tap-to-pay, as well as on websites and mobile apps.
Last year, the Reserve Bank of India introduced new rules permitting biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, for digital transactions, moving beyond the earlier reliance on one-time passwords sent via SMS.
In January, The Times of India had reported that Apple is in talks with regulators regarding the Apple Pay launch in India.
It noted that Apple Inc. has a rising footprint in India across consumers and manufacturing.
The TOI report noted that Apple Pay is increasingly being listed as a payment option for international bookings and services provided by Indian firms. Akasa Air recently became the first Indian airline to enable Apple Pay for international flight reservations, indicating that more Indian merchants are becoming technically prepared to support the platform.
However, Apple Pay still does not allow Indian debit or credit cards to be added to the Wallet app and cannot be used for in-store purchases, metro travel, or QR code-based payments.
Although iPhones are equipped with near field communication (NFC) technology, the service remains unavailable for domestic transactions due to regulatory and ecosystem limitations.
Meanwhile, its rivals Alphabet Inc.’s Google Pay and Walmart Inc.-controlled PhonePe are among the key players dominating India’s UPI payments system.
