Fintech has quietly become one of the most transformative forces in the travel industry — shaping how we pay, how we earn and redeem loyalty, and increasingly, how companies manage global transactions behind the scenes. From B2B payment flows between hotels, OTAs, and suppliers to B2C innovation in digital wallets, loyalty currencies, and embedded finance, fintech is no longer just an enabler — it’s a strategic differentiator.

Fintech also plays a role in the expanding agentic AI space. After all, agents can’t really “agent” without the ability to execute a transaction. How will autonomous digital agents transact on behalf of travelers? What role could blockchain and digital identity play in enabling trusted, frictionless payments between humans and machines?

We’ll also examine the regulatory shifts reshaping the playing field — including the GENIUS Act and other global efforts to modernize payment infrastructure and consumer protection.

Follows

Gilad Berenstein – host

Cara Whitehill - host

Randall Davies — guest

James Lemon — guest

Go Deeper

• What’s up with stablecoins after the GENIUS Act? - Brookings
• Are Stablecoins the Game-Changer for Cross-Border Payments? - Edgar Dunn & Company
• The 2025 McKinsey Global Payments Report - McKinsey & Company
• KYAPay: Toward an Open Payment and Identity Layer for Agentic AI - ***KYAPay.ai & Skyfire.xyzWhitepaper***
• The era of payment stablecoins has arrived - Deloitte