HBX Group Taps Outpayce to Modernize B2B Travel Payments
Palma de Mallorca / Madrid — HBX Group, the B2B travel technology marketplace headquartered in Spain, has selected Outpayce from Amadeus to power a new payments program for its global agency network. The partnership, announced this week, aims to simplify how travel agencies settle with hotels, airlines, and service providers worldwide through automated virtual card technology.
The deal reflects a broader industry shift: travel companies are replacing legacy settlement systems with fintech infrastructure that can handle the sector’s unique complexities. Currency volatility, cross-border regulations, and fragmented reconciliation processes have long plagued B2B travel payments. HBX Group’s move signals that mid-market travel operators want enterprise-grade payment tools without building them in-house.
What the Partnership Delivers
Outpayce’s B2B Wallet will integrate directly into HBX Group’s platform, giving agency clients access to virtual card issuance at the point of booking. When a reservation is made, payment triggers automatically through Outpayce’s infrastructure, with funds settling to suppliers in their preferred currency. The system embeds Level 3 transaction data, which simplifies reconciliation and VAT recovery for corporate travel departments.
For hotel and airline partners, the benefit is faster, more predictable cash flow. Virtual cards reduce the administrative overhead of manual invoicing and reduce fraud exposure by generating unique card numbers for each transaction. Each virtual card can be configured with specific spend limits, validity periods, and merchant restrictions, adding granular control that traditional payment methods lack.
Why This Matters for Merchant Operators
The travel payments landscape has been notoriously difficult to navigate. According to Edgar, Dunn & Company, virtual cards now represent 40% of OTA payments to hotels, with B2B spending projected to dominate 83% of the global virtual card market by 2029. Yet many mid-sized travel companies still rely on manual bank transfers or aging corporate card programs that create reconciliation headaches.
HBX Group’s decision to use Outpayce’s e-money institution licenses and regulatory framework rather than develop internal payment capabilities points to a pragmatic reality: payment infrastructure is specialized, expensive to build, and subject to complex compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions. For companies in the $10M to $200M revenue range, partnerships like this offer a faster path to modernization.
Strategic Context
Outpayce, spun from Amadeus’s payments business, brings deep travel sector expertise and existing integrations with major distribution systems. The company’s recent partnerships with Nuvei and others show an aggressive expansion strategy targeting the B2B travel segment specifically.
HBX Group operates across multiple continents, connecting thousands of agencies with travel inventory. By embedding Outpayce’s technology, they reduce friction in the financial supply chain that has historically slowed settlement and created working capital constraints for smaller agencies.
The rollout timing aligns with broader industry pressure to modernize. A 2021 Amadeus study found that 74% of airlines identified improved cash flow from shorter settlement cycles as the primary benefit of accepting virtual cards. As travel volumes recover and cross-border transaction volumes grow, the infrastructure supporting these payments faces mounting strain.
Bottom Line
For travel merchants watching this space, the HBX-Outpayce partnership illustrates a clear trend: the separation between travel technology and financial technology is dissolving. Companies that previously viewed payments as a back-office function are now recognizing it as a competitive differentiator. Faster supplier payments, better fraud controls, and automated reconciliation directly impact margins and operational efficiency.
Expect similar announcements from other mid-market travel platforms in the coming quarters. The infrastructure now exists to modernize B2B travel payments without massive capital investment. The question is which operators move fast enough to capture the efficiency gains before competitors do.
Sources: Travel And Tour World, FinTech Futures, Edgar, Dunn & Company
