Grab commits US$1m for scholarships, adds new centre for merchants
Claudia Chong
GRAB is committing an annual US$1 million from its GrabForGood Fund towards a programme that will provide university scholarships and bursaries across its markets in South-east Asia.
The programme plans to award over 2,000 scholarships and bursaries each year, which will cover tuition and study-related expenses for underprivileged children attending primary, secondary or vocational schools as well as universities. Grab said internship opportunities will be offered to tertiary students.
The GrabScholar programme was launched in Indonesia last month in partnership with Yayasan Benih Baik Indonesia, a foundation focused on helping vulnerable groups improve their quality of life.
Grab, which has businesses in ride-hailing, food delivery and fintech, will also launch 1-on-1 business consultation services for small and medium-sized enterprises.
A new GrabMerchant Centre will be located at its Singapore headquarters in one-north business park. Aside from personalised time with account managers, the centre will run workshops to help merchants keep up with the latest industry developments. Networking sessions will also be available, said Grab.
Over 680,000 SMEs across the region joined GrabFood and GrabMart last year. Grab is present in 480 cities cross 8 countries in South-east Asia.
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The initiatives were announced on Thursday (Aug 11) at the official launch of the Singapore headquarters, an event attended by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
He said that, like Singapore, Grab started from humble beginnings and has come a long way in 10 years. “In some places, when people say ‘taking a Grab’, it has become synonymous with saying you’re calling for a taxi,” he added.
South-east Asia’s growth potential remains strong, Wong noted, although Singapore and tech companies like Grab have to be prepared to face an uncertain global economic outlook.
To continue growing the tech ecosystem, the government will partner industry players such as Grab and grow the talent pool, deepen skill sets and support innovation, he said.
Spanning 9 floors and more than 42,000 square metres, Grab’s new Singapore office puts about 3,000 employees and a research and development centre under 1 roof. It is also home to the team working in digital bank GXS, which is due to launch soon.
The building is 1 of 2 headquarters Grab has in the region. The other facility in Jakarta serves as Grab’s regional innovation hub for small businesses.
“Providing access to digital tools can be a powerful way to ensure all South-east Asians can equally participate in – and benefit from – the rising digital economy, the same way 10 years ago, when our driver-partners learned how to use their smartphones to earn incomes,” said Anthony Tan, chief executive and co-founder of Grab.
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