Travelex Rolls Out Dual-Sided Mobile FX Kiosks at Doha Hub

Doha’s Hamad International Airport has become the launchpad for Travelex’s newest innovation: fully mobile, dual-sided foreign exchange kiosks. These units, placed within the airport’s recently opened Concourses D and E, allow transactions from both sides, speeding up service and improving passenger flow.

The deployment comprises six mobile units, bringing Travelex’s total touchpoints at HIA to 15. Passengers will be able to exchange more than 45 currencies or collect pre-ordered travel money via QR pickup, all through contactless and digital means. The kiosks are modular in design and consume less energy, emphasising flexibility and sustainability.

Batu Dölay, Managing Director for Travelex Middle East & Türkiye, described the initiative as a step to “improve the passenger journey by delivering more convenient, faster and innovative access to foreign currency services at every touchpoint” in Doha.

HIA handled over 52 million passengers in 2024, a 15 percent increase over 2023. The airport’s expansion—concourses D and E were inaugurated in March 2025—has added capacity and heightened its role as a global transit hub.

The mobile kiosks represent a further evolution following Travelex’s earlier expansion at HIA. In January 2025, the company opened its 13th retail outlet at the airport—its second in the Arrivals Meet & Greet area—complementing existing conventional branches. Before that, Travelex had introduced movable kiosks in the terminal, capable of being repositioned to handle traffic peaks.

The dual-sided kiosk concept now being introduced is touted as a first in the region. Unlike conventional FX booths, these can serve travellers approaching from two directions, thus reducing queue build-ups in congested zones. Their digital integration enables express QR code pickups and contactless payments, tying into Travelex’s wider digital ecosystem.

Sustainability is a key aspect of the rollout. The kiosks use modular materials and have lower energy demands compared with full-scale branches, aligning with broader airport efficiency goals.

Despite the fanfare around innovation, challenges remain. FX margins and regulatory oversight on currency exchange operations often come under scrutiny. Also, as travellers increasingly prefer digital settlement tools or foreign cards, demand for physical currency may decline over time. Observers will watch whether mobile kiosks prove resilient in the face of shifting payment habits.