Grab to Celebrate Public Listing Milestone with Employees and Partners in First-Ever NASDAQ Opening Bell Ceremony in Southeast Asia
Grab is celebrating its milestone public listing with Grab employees, driver-, delivery- and merchant-partners in Nasdaq’s first-ever opening bell ceremony to be hosted in the region.
SINGAPORE – December 2, 2021 – Grab Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: GRAB) (“Grab”), a leading superapp in Southeast Asia[1], is celebrating its milestone public listing with Grab employees, driver-, delivery- and merchant-partners in Nasdaq’s first-ever opening bell ceremony to be hosted in the region.
Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, co-founders of Grab, will be joined onstage in Singapore during the opening bell ceremony by representatives of the Grab driver-, delivery- and merchant-partner communities, who were on the frontlines transporting people, preparing as well as delivering food and essential goods, especially during critical stay-home pandemic periods. These Grab partners have tapped on the Grab platform to better leverage digital services to earn livelihoods and grow their businesses.
Grab employees will also attend the event, including many of those who have been with the company for over six years (internally known as a ‘Grabversaurus’). The ‘Grabversauruses’ joined the company when it was only offering ride-hailing services and operating in less than 30 cities, and have contributed to the company’s growth into a superapp that is now available in 465 cities. In recognition of the collective effort and continued partnership of the Grab community to reach this milestone, about 1,500 Grab employees, as well as representatives from Grab’s partner communities, from across Southeast Asia will be featured on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square, New York City, after Grab is officially listed on Nasdaq.
Anthony Tan, Group CEO and Co-founder, Grab, said, “It’s important to us not to lose sight of what this was all built on. The heart and hard work of our Grabbers to serve our partners, and in turn, the dedication of our partners towards serving their customers. That’s why we chose to hold the ceremony close to home. To be here, amongst our community, sharing the moment with them as we cross the threshold into a new chapter of our journey.”
Quotes from Grab partners who will be participating in Grab’s opening bell ceremony
Roszana Binte Ali, a GrabFood delivery-partner, said, “I’m so happy to be a part of today’s celebration. Before delivering with Grab, I had tried many times to get a job and was close to giving up hope after seven years of trying. Grab was the first company that gave me the ability to earn an income and support my family, even with my disability. I am proud to be financially independent. I hope that Grab will keep bringing these earning opportunities to many more people in Southeast Asia.”
Peh Hock Chuan, a Grab driver-partner, said, “I am on the roads almost every day because I want to provide a better living for my family. I was very touched to learn that the Emerald Circle scholarships[2] were given to both of my children, Pearlyn and Peter, so that they could study the courses of their choices in university. I want to keep doing my best for them so that they can focus on doing well in school and life. Thank you Grab for investing in our children, who are our future.”
Melvin Chew, Owner of Hawkers United and Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap, said, “Singapore’s home-grown hawker culture is internationally recognised and is the fruit of labour of many generations of hawkers. It is not an easy trade to be in and the community struggled during this pandemic period with tightened restrictions. Going digital was one of the ways to help the hawker community stay afloat and I am glad that as a homegrown company, Grab had extended support and taught the hawkers the digital skills to reach more customers. To me, it’s clear that our region is able to grow in a meaningful and sustainable way because of Grab’s growth. I’m proud to see it go public today and hope it will continue to help small businesses across Southeast Asia.”
Mastura, Owner of Hjh Maimunah, said, “Grab has helped me to sustain my restaurant’s business during this pandemic. They understand the needs of a small F&B business like mine amidst the various Covid measures, and my aspiration to bring traditional Malay and Indonesian cuisines to more customers. With their help, we were able to continue to serve not just our returning customers, but also more people from beyond the proximity of our physical restaurants. Being awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand recently was also a huge recognition of our efforts. I’m happy to see Grab go public today – it is a major milestone and I hope that together with Grab, we can continue to grow and become better together. Working with a partner who understands us is always a joy. I look forward to more opportunities to grow with Grab.”
Jonathan Tan, Founder and Managing Director, PRISM+, said, “As a fellow entrepreneur, I know that a startup journey is never easy, and that’s why I am so happy to be here today to join Grab’s listing moment and see a fellow homegrown company succeed. This really pushes me on, and is a powerful reminder of Southeast Asia’s potential. As the first display brand born and bred in Singapore, Grab has been invaluable in helping us supercharge our sales, serving the needs of our users by providing them accessible and flexible payment solutions. We recorded a 30% increase in revenue in the last 5 months, and look forward to recording new highs with our continued partnership with Grab.”
More quotes from Grab driver-, delivery- and merchant-partners, and other business partners from across Southeast Asia are available in the Appendix.
To access photos and collateral from the opening bell ceremony, please visit here. Please note that the link will be continually updated throughout 2 December. For general photos, videos (b-roll), executive photos and collateral, please visit Grab’s Press Center.
About Grab
Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading superapp based on GMV in 2020 in each of food deliveries, mobility and the e-wallets segment of financial services, according to Euromonitor. Grab operates across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors in over 400 cities in eight countries in the Southeast Asia region – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Grab enables millions of people each day to access its driver- and merchant-partners to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending, insurance, wealth management and telemedicine, all through a single “everyday everything” app. Grab was founded in 2012 with the mission to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone, and since then, the Grab app has been downloaded onto millions of mobile devices. Grab strives to serve a double bottom line: to simultaneously deliver financial performance for its shareholders and a positive social impact in Southeast Asia.
[1] Based on category leadership in online food delivery, ride-hailing and digital wallet. Category leadership was assessed by Euromonitor, based on GMV for online food delivery and ride-hailing and Total Payment Volume (TPV) for digital wallet for 2020. ‘Southeast Asia’ refers to the 6 largest markets in the region only: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam.
[2] Emerald Circle scholarships are offered to the immediate family members of selected high-performing driver-partners in Singapore. These recipients can choose to pursue a degree in any course at any of Singapore’s local universities. Since 2018, Grab has awarded 35 bond-free Emerald Circle scholarships.
Appendix
Congratulatory messages from Grab driver-, delivery- and merchant-partners as well as Grab corporate partners
Grab partners
“By becoming a GrabBike driver-partner, I can inspire other friends with disabilities to take advantage of technology and join Grab. Hopefully, Grab can grow even bigger so that it can reach more people with disabilities in Indonesia.”
Bonar Bangun Simanjuntak, GrabBike driver-partner
“I am very happy to be a part of this historical day. Before joining Grab, as a tailor and kiosk owner, I didn’t know the benefits of technology and it took me some time to finally succeed in using the GrabKios app. I always try to keep my spirits up and it gives a positive impact to my business. As a result, my income increased by 70% and I was able to renovate my kiosk and house, and also bought motorbikes for myself and my wife. I was finally able to start saving money for my son’s dream to become a dentist. Congratulations to Grab and hopefully we can continue to innovate and inspire more people to achieve their dreams.”
Cahyo Widodo, GrabKios agent-partner
“Everyday I find myself on the road so I can provide a better future for my family. While I first joined as a delivery-partner of Grab for financial reasons, I was surprised to find that Grab has so much to offer for its driver- and delivery-partners which have really helped to improve our quality of life. Apart from financial assistance, I have also personally gained a lot of new skills from all the free training provided by GrabAcademy. I am proud to be part of Grab’s milestone, and I hope the company will continue to invest in more people like me across the country and in the region.”
Carlo Mamaril, GrabFood delivery-partner
“Food businesses like ours have faced a lot of challenges in recent years, especially with the global pandemic leaving us to cope with uncertainties. All of these have been dispelled since we joined as a partner of Grab. The transition to take advantage of the digital economy was easy and seamless with the unending support Grab has provided. Since going online, we have increased our customer base, expanded our footprint, but most importantly, we have been assured that even amid a global crisis, our business could stay afloat. We are excited for the journey ahead with Grab and hope to hear more stories of Filipino entrepreneurs like ours getting the opportunity to grow because of Grab’s many initiatives.”
Justin Liu, Chairman of Angel’s Pizza, GrabFood merchant-partner
“I’m thankful to Grab because of the opportunities they have provided, even with my disability. I am able to help my family financially for the first time, and I was also able to save up my earnings to be able to get married. Apart from that I can honestly say that working on the platform has upgraded not only my own but my family’s lifestyle as well. This really wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Grab and their efforts to support the PWD (persons with disabilities) community. For this I am very proud to be a part of this homegrown platform which has helped me be financially independent.”
Muhammad Hassan, GrabFood delivery-partner
“I have started my driving with Grab since 2019 as it offers me the flexibility and more stable income to take care of my ill husband. Over the years, not only do I have a better livelihood, I also become part of Grab driver communities where everyone supports and looks out for one another. I learn to use a smartphone for the first time because of Grab, and that leads me to the journey of learning many more digital skills to better improve my income. I’m grateful to be part of today’s celebration, and hope that Grab will bring millions more firsts to even more people like me across the region.”
Nguyen Thi Luyen, Grab driver-partner
“2020 was a difficult year for me due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic that the Ben Thanh market was mostly deserted. In early 2021, I joined GrabMart and that was the first time ever I have my own online shop front on a digital platform. I’m grateful to be able to learn more about technology and digital skills, to have more consumers and to increase my revenue thanks to GrabMart. I am very happy to be part of Grab’s celebrations for their listing on NASDAQ and hope Grab will continue to grow and bring more economic opportunities to more people in Vietnam.”
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, GrabMart merchant-partner
“GrabMart is the first time I’ve ever set up my business on an online sales platform or delivery service as a traditional wet market hawker. Being on Grab has given me the opportunity to expand my consumer base and reach more folks who might not be familiar with my stall, especially during the pandemic, and I am thankful for that. I’m happy to be a part of the Grab family and this milestone as it goes public today, and I hope more traditional businesses will be open to technology through homegrown companies such as Grab, to help them perform better.”
Zalilah bt Ismail, Owner of Ilahzy Enterprise, GrabMart merchant
Grab corporate partners
“Since 2019, Danone-AQUA and Grab have been collaborating closely for the #LangkahHijau campaign to encourage waste recycling initiatives. Through the program, there are now 44 waste bank points in Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, that supports circular economy and pave way for better livelihood of our waste pickers. Grab is also one of Danone’s health partners in supporting the Indonesian government’s objective to accelerate Covid vaccination in 2021. Their vision, commitment, and professionalism have brought them to a new milestone, being listed in NASDAQ. Congratulations to the Grab team. We can’t wait to be able to continue to collaborate with Grab and together, make changes for both consumers and the environment.”
Vera Galuh Sugijanto, Vice President General Secretary, Danone Indonesia
“Our strategic partnership with Grab started with our shared vision and mission to grow the digital economy of Indonesia. Congratulations to Grab for this key milestone as we are delighted to be part of Grab’s journey in Indonesia. Emtek is committed to accelerating the digital transformation in Indonesia, together with Grab.”
Alvin W. Sariaatmadja, President Director, Emtek
“As one of our investors, Grab has given us a lot of support and motivation to continue to grow in this industry. We also collaborate on various programs, including ecosystem access and technology advancement to accelerate financial inclusion in Indonesia. Moreover, the Grab ecosystem has promising potential for the development of the sharia ecosystem in Indonesia, where LinkAja is the first Sharia e-Wallet. Today, we are very happy to see Grab’s proud listing moment. We hope that this moment will be a new milestone for Grab to continue to strengthen its commitment to Indonesia.”
Wibawa Prasetyawan, Chief Marketing Officer, LinkAja
“On November 2, 2021, Danamon and Grab launched the Danamon-Grab credit card, which was specially created to provide the best financial solutions for Indonesia’s young generation so that they can become smart spenders. The Danamon Grab Card is designed with various benefits to support this young generation’s socially active and digitized daily lifestyle but still has control over their spending. I believe this collaboration has been made possible with strong commitments from Grab to always strive and bring positive impact to the society. Today, Grab’s strong commitment has continued to make a remarkable journey – Grab is officially listed in the NASDAQ Stock Market. We would like to congratulate Grab for this truly important milestone and look forward to future collaborations to bring our customers more ground-breaking lifestyle and financial solutions.”
Yasushi Itagaki, President Director, PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk.
“Grab is our business partner of choice and it is a pleasure to work with their passionate team. Reckitt and Grab are committed to helping the community fight against the pandemic. This commitment brought us together to use our strengths to provide a safe and comfortable journey for the community. We collaborated to provide Dettol hygiene kit for GrabCar Protect fleets and bar soap at GrabKitchen. We also partnered in COVID 19 vaccination drives to keep community safe. We would like to congratulate Grab on this special moment of listing in Nasdaq and wish them best of luck for more success.”
Srinivasan Appan, President Director, Reckitt Indonesia
“Our partnership with Grab is strong and provides an enormous opportunity in the Philippines based on our unique combination of digital and consumer strengths. We value our relationship with Grab highly. At SM we congratulate Grab on its listing and we look forward to many years of creating innovation and growth together.”
Frederic C. Dybuncio, President and CEO, SM Investments Corporation
“Congratulations to Grab on this great milestone, this is a testament and inspiration for SEA’s homegrown tech startup to scale and succeed in the global market. We hope Grab’s listing today would drive more interest and economic opportunities to this fast-growing region, and look forward to accelerating our partnership with Grab in Vietnam to drive more meaningful initiatives for digitalisation, aviation, and road mobility in the country.”
Madam Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman, Sovico Group