Singtel Group, GrabTaxi partner to enable mobile wallet for customers in Southeast Asia

The Singtel Group has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GrabTaxi to promote the use of the Group’s mobile wallet services on GrabTaxi’s app to mobile customers in the South Asian region.

Through a group-wide Open Platform, mobile customers of AIS, Globe and Telkomsel will be able to book vehicles using the GrabTaxi app, and pay for rides using their personal mobile wallets. This partnership will provide a seamless and convenient experience for users, who may prefer not to pay with cash or credit cards.

Mark Chong, CEO International of Singtel, said, “Telco billing relationships are a key enabler in developing markets, where less than 10% of the population own credit cards or bank accounts. Through our Open Platform, online retailers and service providers such as GrabTaxi can easily connect to the payment platforms of all members of the Singtel Group. The collaboration will enable more mobile customers to enjoy cashless payments through their smart phones.”

Anthony Tan, CEO and co-founder of GrabTaxi, said, “People in Southeast Asia are hyperconnected on mobile, and it’s our goal to provide another payment option for passengers via a channel they are familiar with. GrabTaxi passengers will soon have the option to streamline their payments, including transport expenses, to one mobile wallet and reduce reliance on carrying cash. Our partnership with the Singtel Group also enables us to reward our drivers with better value mobile plans and provide access to more customers. This is part of our ongoing long-term investment into our app and technology, to build more functionalities to improve the user experience for both our drivers and passengers.”

As part of the MOU, GrabTaxi drivers will be encouraged to use their mobile wallets to accept payments. GrabTaxi drivers will be offered customised data-centric mobile plans tailored in anticipation of their higher data usage needs.

The Open Platform integration to GrabTaxi’s app is expected to be ready by mid-2016. Meanwhile, both GrabTaxi and Singtel Group are working to optimise the user experience of the Group’s mobile wallet services with the GrabTaxi app.