Apple Pay will launch in India by this October, according to reports citing people familiar with the matter. The service is expected to support major credit‑card networks such as Visa and Mastercard, but it will not support transactions via the country’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at launch.
Apple Pay launch requirements and banking talks
For Apple Pay to add UPI support, the company would need clearance from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and would also have to partner with a sponsor bank to route UPI transactions, sources say. Negotiations on those requirements are said to be ongoing.
Earlier reporting in February said Apple had been in talks with major Indian banks as part of efforts to get Apple Pay up and running in the country this year.
