Mastercard and INFINIOS Expand MENA Travel Payments
Mastercard has renewed its multi-year partnership with Bahrain-based fintech INFINIOS to expand digital business-to-business (B2B) travel payments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The agreement will scale the Mastercard Wholesale Programme (MWP), a virtual card-based payment solution designed to simplify transactions between travel buyers and suppliers. The collaboration also aims to reduce manual payment processes and improve transparency, security, and liquidity across the travel industry.
Announced on November 3, 2026, during the fourth edition of Gateway Gulf in Bahrain, the agreement strengthens the two companies’ established partnership. The Bahrain Economic Development Board hosted the forum on November 1 and 2 under the theme Reimagining Global Partnerships, Powering Sustainable Growth.
Mastercard Wholesale Programme Expands Across MENA
The Mastercard Wholesale Programme uses virtual corporate cards to digitise payments between businesses across the travel ecosystem.
Through the renewed agreement, Mastercard and INFINIOS will expand the programme across MENA markets. As a result, travel agencies, merchants, and suppliers can access more automated payment processes.
The solution addresses several challenges associated with traditional B2B travel transactions. These include manual processing, limited payment visibility, delayed settlements and cash flow constraints.
Furthermore, the programme offers several operational benefits:
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Automation: Reduces manual work in business payment processes.
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Transparency: Improves transaction visibility between travel buyers and suppliers.
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Security: Provides controlled digital payment capabilities through virtual cards.
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Liquidity: Helps businesses manage cash flow and payment flexibility.
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Efficiency: Simplifies transactions across travel distribution networks.
Through these capabilities, the partnership aims to support travel agencies and suppliers as transaction volumes grow. The expansion will also help businesses adopt digital payment infrastructure across regional markets.
MENA Travel Growth Drives Digital Payment Demand
The renewed agreement comes as digital travel bookings continue to expand across the region. According to figures cited in the announcement, online travel bookings across MENA increased by 63% in 2025 compared with the previous year.
Meanwhile, bookings through travel intermediaries across regional markets could exceed $100 billion by 2028. Continued digital adoption and changing consumer preferences are expected to support this growth.
Consequently, travel businesses need payment systems that can handle higher transaction volumes and complex supplier relationships. Virtual card technology offers an alternative to traditional manual payment arrangements.
Sherif Abdelsalam, CEO of INFINIOS, said the partnership supports the shift toward digital, borderless travel payments. He highlighted the company’s focus on virtual corporate cards and automated B2B transactions.
He also noted that the collaboration aims to improve transparency, accelerate payments and unlock liquidity across the travel ecosystem.
Similarly, Saud Swar, Mastercard’s Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and other Levant markets, highlighted the importance of expanding digital payment solutions. He said the renewed agreement reflects the companies’ strengthened relationship and supports the travel industry’s growing reliance on automation.
The partnership builds on Mastercard and INFINIOS’s original collaboration, announced in March 2023, when they introduced the Mastercard Wholesale Programme in the MENA region.
The expanded agreement now aims to increase the programme’s regional reach and commercial adoption. As travel activity grows, both companies expect digital payment infrastructure to play a greater role in connecting buyers, agencies and suppliers across the industry.
