Ride-hail firm Grab has an audacious plan for an indispensable super-app
Unlike China’s behemoths, Grab must contend with fractured regional markets — and it is also fighting an antitrust battle
Singapore — Grab is opening its app to external developers and fellow startups, as the company that bought out Uber Technologies in Southeast Asia tries to build a WeChat-like super-app that encompasses everything from maps and payments to food delivery. The move underscores the Singapore-based company’s newfound ambition to become an "everyday super-app" that helps millions of users carry out routine activities, CEO Anthony Tan said in an interview. That includes delivering groceries in partnership with regional online grocer HappyFresh, a first for the startup as it tries to emulate the success of rival Go-Jek beyond car-hailing. New services should help Grab hit $1bn in revenue for the first time this year, Tan said. The initiative comes as Grab grapples with accusations that it is accruing monopolistic power in its home market. The six-year-old startup is hoping to replicate Chinese tech titans’ deep-seated connection with consumers. Tencent’s WeChat messaging system lets roughl...
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