Apple nears India launch of Apple Pay amid regulatory and partner discussions: Report

People aware of the plans said Apple is likely to take a phased approach to its India launch. In the first phase, Apple Pay is expected to focus on contactless card-based payments using near-field communication (NFC). A later phase could see Apple Pay integrate with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s dominant real-time payments system, though this would require a separate and more complex set of regulatory clearances.

Sources added that Apple is unlikely to apply for a third-party application provider (TPAP) licence for UPI in the early stage. The approval process for UPI involves a different regulatory structure and a payments architecture that is very different from traditional card-based systems, making it a more involved exercise.

Apple’s planned entry comes at a time when competition in India’s digital payments space is intensifying. Samsung has its own service called Samsung Wallet, launched in India in 2022. It’s a service where everything related to payment, card information, and other utilities are consolidated within the ‘Samsung ecosystem.’ Recently, the service gained popularity by enabling the integration of the UPI service. This helped the Korean tech giant increase its presence in the market with the popularity of the UPI service.

Apple Pay is operated by Apple Payments Services, a subsidiary of Apple. Once live in India, users will be able to add their credit and debit cards to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments by tapping their Apple devices on compatible point-of-sale terminals. At present, cards issued by Indian banks cannot be added to Apple Wallet.

This push into digital payments aligns with the broader growth of electronic transactions in India, ranging from cards and digital wallets to prepaid instruments and UPI. It comes at a time when Apple’s own presence in the country is growing. Apple had recorded its highest-ever iPhone shipments in India during 2025, with its market share estimated at 9–10 per cent to position it among the top five smartphone brands in the country.

Even in front of any official launch, several fintech firms in India started preparing for Apple Pay’s 2025 launch by integrating the service to support international transactions for domestic merchants, signalling early confidence in its arrival.