Apple Pay arrives in India with Axis Bank tie up, raising questions over UPI and RuPay access
Apple has begun offering Apple Pay in India through a partnership with Axis Bank, initially supporting Axis-issued credit cards on Visa and Mastercard. The launch gives Apple a presence in one of the world’s largest digital payments markets, but it leaves India’s homegrown UPI rails and RuPay debit cards outside the initial rollout, sparking debate over competition, fees and how Apple will integrate with India’s payments ecosystem.