Apple Pay to launch in India with Axis Bank as first partner

Apple is launching Apple Pay in India, with Axis Bank as its initial banking partner. The service will allow eligible Axis Bank customers to add their credit cards to Apple's Wallet app and use Apple Pay for online purchases and contactless payments at supported terminals.

The initial rollout supports eligible Axis Bank cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks, but not RuPay. Acceptance is restricted to merchants and payment terminals that are enabled for the service.

Apple is seeking a fee of about 20 basis points on transactions, according to the facts. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card are not expected to support Apple Pay at launch.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Apple was preparing to launch Apple Pay in India in October, starting with Axis Bank credit cards. Apple accounted for 28% of India's smartphone market by value in 2025, up from 23% a year earlier, per Counterpoint Research.

India already accounts for about a quarter of global iPhone production, and that share could rise to 30% to 35% over the next five years, Business Standard reported last month.