Technology and Science · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Apple Pay Launches in India With Axis Bank, Excluding RuPay Network
Apple Pay launches in India with Axis Bank as initial partner on Visa/Mastercard networks. Initial rollout excludes RuPay and has limited terminal acceptance.
InsideFlyer claims a later live date, while others describe immediate/Wednesday rollout.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: apple Pay’s rollout is limited to Apple Pay-enabled terminals.
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Same story, two versions
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Iinsideflyer
“The service went live September 30, 2026, allowing contactless payments via iPhone and Apple Watch.”Read the original ↗
TechCrunch
“Apple began rolling out Apple Pay in India on Tuesday, as TechCrunch was first to report.”Read the original ↗
Conflicting rollout timing undermines confidence in the launch window accuracy.
Apple Pay Lands in India
Apple began rolling out Apple Pay in India on Tuesday, with Axis Bank as its first banking partner, and the service initially supports eligible Axis Bank cards on Visa and Mastercard but not India’s homegrown RuPay network. Apple Pay supports eligible Axis Bank cards on Visa and Mastercard, but not India’s homegrown RuPay network. Apple Pay is limited to merchants and payment terminals that have enabled the service, and Apple Pay is card-based in contrast to the state-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI) that lets consumers make instant bank-to-bank payments without relying on cards.
Apple’s rollout targets a payments market that is dominated by UPI, and Apple Pay requires issuers and payment-infrastructure providers to integrate with the service, which complicates broader deployment. Apple Pay is accepted by “millions of merchants” across India, including Blinkit, Croma, Ixigo, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg, and Zomato.
Banks, Fees, and Access
Apple’s commercial terms became a sticking point as Apple is seeking a fee of about 20 basis points (0.2%) on transactions, a significant bite out of the roughly 40 to 50 basis points (0.4% to 0.5%) margin in the payments layer. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and SBI Card are not supporting Apple Pay at launch as negotiations over commercial terms continue, leaving the initial availability tied to Axis Bank and enabled acceptance points. Axis Bank would be the country’s first financial institution to offer Apple Pay, initially to customers with Visa and Mastercard networks credit cards, and RuPay network cards will not be supported.
Jennifer Bailey, Apple Pay and Apple Wallet vice president at Apple, said, "India has a dynamic population accustomed to a digital environment that continues to move toward a cashless future, while demanding the highest standards of security and privacy, so we are very excited to make Apple Pay available to users in India today,". Axis Bank is the fourth-largest issuer of credit cards in India with 16.3 million cards in circulation as of August, out of a total of 124 million in the country, according to data from the central bank.
How It Works, What Comes Next
Apple Pay’s acceptance depends on whether merchants and payment terminals have enabled the service, and an Apple Pay transaction could work at a terminal operated by an independent payments provider that has enabled the service but fail at another terminal whose acquiring bank has not. Apple Pay is card-based and requires individual issuers and payment infrastructure providers to integrate with the service, while UPI lets consumers make instant bank-to-bank payments without relying on cards. Apple Pay would be available to users in India on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, with Mac compatibility coming soon, and customers can use Apple Pay without the need to enter a PIN or use OTP codes when paying.
Amitabh Chaudhry, CEO of Axis Bank, said, "We are at a crucial inflection point in the payments sector, where technology, security, and shifting customer expectations are transforming how people transact." Apple Pay will be accepted at millions of retailers across India, including Apple Store locations, Blinkit, Chaayos, Comet, Croma, Interflora, Ixigo, Le15 Patisserie, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg, and Zomato, and Apple worked with payment service providers including Cashfree, Juspay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs, Razorpay, and Worldline to integrate Apple Pay into India’s retail networks.