NewsRegulation
Apple Pay Reached India With One Bank. Korea Still Has One
Apple Pay launched in India on 30 September 2026 with a single card issuer, Axis Bank, and only for its Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Of the 94 markets for which Apple publishes an issuer list, India is one of three with a single entry; the median market lists 22.
Key takeaways 6
- Apple Pay launched in India on 30 September 2026 with one issuer: Axis Bank, for Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
- India is one of three markets, of 94 with an issuer list, where Apple names a single issuer.
- The median Apple Pay market lists 22 issuers; the United States lists 6,232.
- South Korea, on Apple’s list since early 2023, still names only Hyundai Card.
- Apple’s country list grew from 35 entries in March 2019 to 100 in October 2026.
- All eight payment providers Apple names for India hold RBI payment aggregator licences.
Apple Pay launched in India on 30 September 2026 with one card issuer. Apple’s list of participating banks for India names only Axis Bank, and only its Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
That makes India one of three markets, out of 94 with their own issuer list, where Apple names a single issuer. The median market has 22.
Single-issuer markets
The other two are South Korea, which joined Apple’s list in early 2023 and still names only Hyundai Card, and Mauritius, added in mid-2026, where Apple lists Mauritius Commercial Bank.
New markets tend to start small. Of the 14 markets added since January 2025, none lists more than 10 issuers today. The Philippines, added this summer, has four.
The United States lists 6,232.
A list of 100
India was the fifth market Apple added in 2026. HaiPay read Apple’s country list in 54 archived copies from March 2019, when it named 35 countries and regions. It now names 100, after San Marino dropped off the page this month.
Apple says Mac support in India is coming soon. Its India post names merchants including Zomato, Blinkit, Croma and Tata 1mg, and eight payment service providers: BillDesk, Cashfree, Juspay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs and Razorpay. All eight hold a Reserve Bank of India certificate of authorisation as online payment aggregators.
Why this matters
Apple says it worked with those providers to bring Apple Pay to their merchant networks, so for merchants in India, acceptance depends largely on their payment provider. For card issuers, the list is open: an Axis Bank credit card is, for now, the only way to use Apple Pay in India.
Apple’s materials for India do not mention RuPay cards, debit cards or UPI, the country’s main real-time payment system.
What this does not show
A count of issuers is not a count of cards, and Apple’s lists carry no usage data. The country history is dated to archived copies taken roughly monthly. HaiPay did not contact Apple or Axis Bank.
What to watch
Which Indian issuer becomes the second on Apple’s list, and how soon.
Whether RuPay credit cards are added.
And when Mac support arrives.
Data highlight
1 card issuer
Banks and card issuers Apple lists as supporting Apple Pay in India, against a median of 22 across the 94 markets with their own issuer list
As listed on 21 October 2026
Read the methodology and limitations
“We’re so excited to bring Apple Pay to users in India today.”
Methodology and limitations
Compiled by HaiPay on 21 October 2026 from Apple’s own pages. The launch date, issuer and merchant details come from Apple’s India newsroom post of 30 September 2026. Markets come from Apple’s support page Countries and regions that support Apple Pay (support.apple.com/en-us/102775, earlier HT207957), read live on 21 October 2026 and in 54 Internet Archive captures from 25 March 2019 to 5 October 2026, roughly one a month. HaiPay extracted every country or region name the page lists and dated each to the first capture that includes it; two renamed entries, China to China mainland and Czech Republic to Czechia, are not counted as additions, and the United States and Puerto Rico count as one entry. The list grew from 35 entries in March 2019 to 100 on 21 October 2026: 22 added in 2019 from March, 3 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 7 in 2022, 8 in 2023, 4 in 2024, 9 in 2025 and 5 in 2026 (Mauritius, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Tajikistan and India). Russia was removed in 2022 and San Marino between the captures of 5 October and the live page of 21 October 2026. Issuer counts come from Apple’s three regional pages of participating banks (109516, 102897 and 109524), read on 21 October 2026, counting each entry under each market heading; 94 markets have their own list, with a median of 22 entries. India, South Korea and Mauritius each list one: Axis Bank (Visa and Mastercard credit cards), Hyundai Card and Mauritius Commercial Bank. The United States list, split across nine alphabetical sections, has 6,232 entries. Seven listed territories, such as Guernsey and the Faroe Islands, have no separate list. An entry is an issuer name as Apple prints it; some issuers appear under more than one market. The eight payment service providers named in Apple’s India post were checked against the Reserve Bank of India’s certificate of authorisation list of 16 October 2026; BillDesk appears there under its company name, IndiaIdeas.com Limited. HaiPay did not contact Apple, Axis Bank or any company named here.
Data note
HaiPay count of the entries on Apple’s three regional Apple Pay participating bank pages (support.apple.com 109516, 102897, 109524), read 21 October 2026. India lists one: Axis Bank, Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Of 94 markets with their own list, three list one issuer (India, South Korea, Mauritius); the median is 22 and the United States lists 6,232. Market history from Apple’s country page in 54 Internet Archive captures since 25 March 2019: 35 entries then, 100 on 21 October 2026.
Launch date from Apple’s India newsroom post of 30 September 2026.
Data and research materials
- Apple Pay countries and regions, first listing date and issuer count, March 2019 to October 2026 (Apple pages, HaiPay compilation) ↓CSV · 4 KB
Every country or region that has appeared on Apple’s support page Countries and regions that support Apple Pay in 54 Internet Archive captures from 25 March 2019 and on the live page of 21 October 2026, with the first capture that lists it, whether it is listed on 21 October 2026, the capture by which it was removed where applicable, and the number of card issuers Apple lists for it on 21 October 2026. 102 rows.
- Card issuers listed by Apple for each Apple Pay market, 21 October 2026 (Apple pages, HaiPay count) ↓CSV · 5 KB
The number of entries under each market heading on Apple’s three regional pages of Apple Pay participating banks and card issuers, read on 21 October 2026, with the page each comes from. The United States, split across alphabetical sections, is combined into one row. 94 rows.
HaiPay’s charts and the two CSV tables on this page may be reused with attribution to HaiPay and a link to this article. The underlying lists are published by Apple; reuse of the source material is governed by Apple’s terms, not by HaiPay.
Term definition
- Card issuer
- A bank or other firm that issues payment cards to customers. Apple Pay works only with cards from issuers Apple lists for each market; India has one, Axis Bank.
- Device Account Number
- The number Apple Pay stores in a device’s Secure Element in place of the card number. Apple says the card number itself is not stored on the device or shared with merchants.
- Payment aggregator
- In India, a firm licensed by the Reserve Bank of India to collect payments for merchants. Apple names eight for its India launch, all holding RBI certificates.
7 sources
- Apple Inc.
Launch date of 30 September 2026, Axis Bank as the issuer for Visa and Mastercard credit cards, Mac support to follow, the named merchants and the eight payment service providers.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
- Apple Inc.
Countries and regions that support Apple Pay
The list of 100 countries and regions on 21 October 2026, including India and no longer San Marino.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
- Apple Inc.
Apple Pay participating banks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India
The issuer list for India (Axis Bank, Visa and Mastercard credit cards) and for 70 other markets in the region, including Mauritius with one issuer.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
- Apple Inc.
Apple Pay participating banks and card issuers in Asia-Pacific
Issuer lists for Asia-Pacific markets, including South Korea with one issuer, Hyundai Card, and the Philippines with four.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
- Apple Inc.
Apple Pay participating banks in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean
Issuer lists for the Americas, including 6,232 entries for the United States.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
- Internet Archive
Apple Pay countries and regions, captured 25 March 2019 (Internet Archive copy)
The March 2019 baseline of 35 countries and regions; later captures were used to date each addition.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
- Reserve Bank of India
Confirms that the eight payment service providers Apple names for India each hold an RBI certificate of authorisation as an online payment aggregator.
Accessed 21 October 2026 · UTC
How to cite
HaiPay News, "Apple Pay Reached India With One Bank. Korea Still Has One", https://www.haipay.net/news/apple-pay-india-launch-one-card-issuer, 21 October 2026
