News about mobile payments

Apple Pay launched in India in late September, letting iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch users tap to pay via Apple Wallet, authenticated by Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode instead of a PIN or OTP. For now the feature is limited to Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards, though Apple reportedly is in talks with other major domestic lenders. The service also benefits international travelers, who could not use local UPI QR codes with foreign bank accounts. Transactions run through the underlying credit card, and tokenization keeps the real card number from merchants. Experts warn biometrics do not eliminate risks such as device theft, compromised accounts or fraud, and note that Samsung Pay and Google Wallet require a PIN above ₹5,000 and support RuPay, while Apple Pay currently supports neither UPI nor RuPay.