In a travel ecosystem where small guesthouses in rural Spain share platform space with global hotel chains, payouts are anything but simple. But for Dmytro Kononenko, Product Lead at Booking.com, that complexity is exactly what drives innovation.
At Money20/20 Europe, Kononenko sat down with BobsGuide to talk through how Booking.com’s FinTech arm is reengineering the partner payout experience balancing speed, cost, global compliance, and a growing diversity of partner expectations.
Booking.com as a FinTech Operator
Though Booking.com is known globally as a travel tech giant, Kononenko is quick to point out that its partner payments division functions like a financial services operator.
“Our job is to make sure our partners get paid fast and paid on time. That sounds simple, but when you operate across every corner of the globe, it requires constant innovation,” he explained.
From exploring payout rails in emerging markets to monitoring currency regulations, Booking’s FinTech teams work behind the scenes to make sure earnings flow reliably to accommodation providers of every size and profile.
“Even though our main business is travel, we want to be ready if, say, two years from now, a partner wants to be paid in stablecoin,” he added. “It shouldn’t catch us by surprise.”
Making Payments ‘Invisible’
When asked how Booking is working to make payouts seamless, even invisible, Kononenko breaks it down into three pillars:
Investment in Innovation: “We experiment constantly. Some things fail. That’s okay. We learn from it.”
Feedback Loops: Feedback from partners and guests directly shapes product improvements.
Operational Precision: Faster, more transparent execution is key. “In some markets, we want to move to next-day payouts after a guest checks in.”
For many partners, especially smaller operators or digital nomads renting out personal property, the ideal financial product is one they never have to think about. Booking’s aim? Make payouts so reliable and contextual that they disappear into the partner experience.
Balancing Local Needs with Global Scale
Kononenko is clear-eyed about the challenge: Booking.com’s partner base is deeply fragmented.
“You’ve got global hotel chains, small apartment owners, rural guesthouses, and even van-lifers listing on the platform. They all need different things.”
The key is prioritization, identifying which innovations will benefit a meaningful portion of the global partner base while maintaining fairness across use cases. “It’s hard to get right, but we’re trying,” he said.
Some requests, like embedded lending, come up frequently but require careful consideration. “You can’t chase every idea. It has to align with how Booking grows, not just FinTech for FinTech’s sake.”
Discovery, Not Assumption
Understanding what partners want isn’t left to guesswork.
Kononenko outlined a layered discovery approach:
Direct feedback loops with large hotel groups via account managers
Surveys and onboarding flows for smaller partners
Early adopter cohorts willing to test new FinTech features
“We know who to talk to when we’re building something new. We’ve developed real segmentation over time.”
Looking Ahead: Strengthening the Core
When asked what Booking.com’s FinTech priorities are for 2025, Kononenko didn’t point to flashy moonshots. Instead, he focused on the basics.
“We’re behind the competition in some areas. 2025 is about closing those gaps, faster payouts, stronger infrastructure. Then we can look at new products in 2026 and beyond.”
He also acknowledged growing interest in stablecoins, especially for harder-to-reach payout geographies. While not a current roadmap item, he emphasized the importance of education and readiness. “We don’t want to be caught off guard if those use cases become real.”
Adapting to the Rise of the New Host
As the travel market evolves, so do its players. Today’s partner might not be a hotel owner, they could be a digital nomad, a part-time renter, or someone exploring hospitality as a side hustle.
Kononenko sees this shift not as a challenge, but as a mandate to simplify.
“These partners are still figuring it out. Our job is to make sure the payments work and don’t distract them from exploring what’s possible.”
What Happens When Agents Book Your Trip?
As the conversation wrapped, Kononenko reflected on the rise of LLM-powered “travel agents”, AI agents that can book and manage a trip from start to finish.
Rather than seeing it as a threat, he views it as a prompt to stay proactive.
“Booking.com is already investing in this space helping travelers book with just a prompt. We want to be ready to integrate, not resist.”
And yes, AI is already playing a role in the FinTech side of the business. From improving internal ops to streamlining payment support for guests and partners, automation is a growing part of the stack.
Final Take
For all the sophistication under the hood, Kononenko’s view remains practical: partners want reliability, speed, and clarity. And Booking.com’s FinTech mission is to deliver that quietly, consistently, and globally.
As platforms continue to expand their FinTech ambitions, Booking.com is a case study in how to do it with discipline, scale awareness, and a relentless focus on what partners actually need, not just what’s trending.
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