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Apple Pay set for biggest ever expansion, likely to boost iPhone sales

Apple Pay has reportedly grown to become the second largest payment processing service in the world after Visa, handling 9.5 trillion transactions for more than 800 million customers.

Those numbers now look set for a significant boost as Apple prepares for its biggest ever expansion of its mobile wallet service …

Bloomberg reports that the company is working on an Apple Pay rollout to India, which last year overtook China to become the world’s most populous country.

The iPhone maker is in talks with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank as it aims to introduce its payment service in India around the middle of 2026, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Apple had likely been waiting for a change to the law, and the timing now looks perfect.

India’s central bank late last year set new rules that allow biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, for digital payments. Indian authentication mechanisms have previously largely relied on one-time passwords sent via text message […]

With more than 750 million smartphone users on cheap mobile data and a state-backed push, India is one of the world’s fastest-growing digital payments markets

The move is likely to boost demand for iPhones within the country as the rapidly growing middle class seeks to take advantage of the slicker payment system. India is becoming an increasingly sizable market for Apple, with iPhone market share having now reached around 10%.

Apple this week opened its sixth retail store in the country.

Photo by Christiann Koepke on Unsplash

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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