Global travel tech company Yanolja (CEO Sujin Lee) joins hands with Citi to shift the payment paradigm in the travel industry.

At the 'Citi Asia Digital Leaders Summit 2026' held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Southern China from the 11th to the 13th, Yanolja officially announced the expansion of its global partnership with Citi to advance payment innovation in the travel industry.

The core of this collaboration is expanding the partnership between Yanolja and Citibank Korea, which has been ongoing since 2021, into Citi's worldwide network. Both companies plan to cooperate comprehensively to build a 'next-generation integrated payment and settlement system' optimized for the global travel industry.

The two companies will integrate Yanolja's vast travel infrastructure and solution technology with Citi's unrivaled global financial network. In particular, they plan to establish a next-generation payment system focusing on four core tasks: ▲ improving the efficiency and transparency of global B2B settlements, ▲ integrating API-based automated settlement and payment systems, ▲ AI-powered financial risk management, and ▲ expanding global cash management and payment infrastructure. Through this, they plan to automate complex global payment processes to provide a more stable and cost-effective operating environment for travel operators worldwide.

Gunjan Kalra, Head of Commercial Banking for Japan, Asia North, Australia (JANA) and South Asia at Citi, stated, "As companies' global expansion rapidly diversifies across multiple regions, it is becoming increasingly important for clients entering new markets to maintain a consistent operating system." She added, "This collaboration is a key example of how Citi supports the global growth strategies of mid-sized companies worldwide and demonstrates the importance of an integrated global payment infrastructure that supports both the stability and speed of international growth."

Sujin Lee, CEO of Yanolja Group, emphasized, "The partnership with Citi is an important strategic milestone for building a next-generation payment infrastructure specialized for the global travel industry." He added, "By integrating our global travel enablement platform powered by data with Citi’s global financial infrastructure, Yanolja will continue to transform the global travel industry in the AI era."

Meanwhile, Junyoung Lee, President of Yanolja's Enterprise Solutions Division, who took the stage as a speaker during the summit, shared the current status of Yanolja Group's global AI solutions and its customer-centric innovation approach under the theme of "Transforming the Way We Travel."