Apple Plans India Launch of Apple Pay with Card-Based Contactless Payments in 2026

Apple is preparing to launch its digital payment service, Apple Pay, in India by the end of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and commercial agreements with banks and card networks like Visa and Mastercard. The initial rollout will focus on card-based contactless payments using NFC technology, with potential future integration of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Apple Pay aims to offer secure, tap-to-pay functionality on Apple devices, entering a market dominated by platforms like PhonePe and Google Pay.