ICICI Bank Limited

Apple is expected to begin offering its Apple Pay payment service in India next month through a partnership with Axis Bank's credit cards, according to three people familiar with the matter. India had been one of the few major countries where Apple Pay was not yet available. Mumbai-based Axis Bank is the fourth-largest credit card issuer in India. Apple Pay is also in talks with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, both larger than Axis Bank, but the two sides have not yet reached agreement on terms, according to two of the people. Apple and HDFC did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. ICICI and Axis said they had no comment.

Indian shares are likely to open on a cautious note on Friday as investors react to mounting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and await earnings from prominent companies for direction. Market heavyweight Reliance Industries will publish its quarterly results after market hours today, while top lenders HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are scheduled to unveil their earnings results over the weekend. Information technology stocks could be in focus after Wipro and Tech Mahindra posted mixed financial results. Benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty ended flat on Thursday as traders focused on inflation risks from higher energy prices and supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, while the rupee slipped 9 paise to close at 96.35 against the dollar. Foreign institutional investors net sold shares worth Rs 4,205.56 crore on Thursday, while domestic institutional investors net bought shares worth Rs 2,986.41 crore.