Russell Cohen, head of regional operations of Grab, said this investment reflects the ride-hailing firm’s redoubled commitment to the Vietnamese market, noting that the country’s rapidly developing economy and young, mobile-first population makes it ripe for the adoption of digital services.
He noted when Grab is expanding food and parcel delivery, transport and payments business across the country, it hopes to tap and invest in new opportunities emerging in financial technology, mobile technology and logistics to bring about greater value and innovation to its customers and partners.
By the end of 2019, the firm – one of the largest tech investors in Vietnam – will have invested more than US$200 million into the country, according to head of Grab Vietnam Jerry Lim.
Since its entry into Vietnam in 2014, Grab has become a leading app in ride-hailing and food delivery in the country. Its food delivery platform, GrabFood, saw gross merchandise value growing 400 percent in the first half of 2019, with average daily orders hitting 300,000.
Meanwhile, Moca – Grab’s strategic partner in payments – recorded its total payments volume on the Grab app up 150 percent in the period, with monthly mobile active users rising more than 70 percent.
