Apple Pay launches in India with Axis Bank partnership

Apple Pay has gone live in India after teaming up with Axis Bank, Business Recorder reported, citing the lender's Wednesday announcement. Axis Bank, the country's third-largest private lender, becomes the first domestic bank to support the service, initially for credit cards on Visa and Mastercard networks. Cards on the homegrown RuPay network are excluded from the launch.

Central bank figures show Axis Bank had 16.3 million credit cards in August, from a national total of 124 million. On an iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad, users can load eligible cards via the bank's app or Apple Wallet and pay at stores, apps and online. Apple executive Jennifer Bailey said the company was pleased to offer the service to Indian users, according to a statement.

Business Recorder noted that Apple Pay has held talks with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank but has not agreed commercial terms, citing a Reuters report from earlier this month. The real-time bank transfer system UPI, or Unified Payments Interface, makes up 84% of digital payment volumes, based on a 2025 IMF report. Payments are approved with Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode, and no PIN or one-time code is required.