Grab expects AI, new services to triple profit by 2028

Singapore-based Grab, Southeast Asia’s top ride-hailing and delivery firm, aims to triple its EBITDA to US$1.5 billion by 2028 from last year’s level, according to president and COO Alex Hungate.

The company plans to grow revenue by over 20% annually for the next three years, focusing on improving efficiency in its core app and delivery network.

Grab is expanding its financial services and, Hungate said, uses data to underwrite loans more precisely than traditional banks.

The firm has taken toeholds outside Southeast Asia, including an investment in US wealth platform Stash.

Grab is exploring AI-driven loyalty tools with automated assistants for drivers and merchants, preferring to build proprietary agents using foundational models like OpenAI’s, rather than integrating popular chatbots such as ChatGPT.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Grab’s first profit came alongside a steep drop in operating cash flow

Grab posted its first full-year net profit of $200 million in 2025 1.
Cash flow from operations slid from $852 million in 2024 to $79 million in 2025 2.
Rapid growth in the loan book drove much of the swing. The portfolio rose 120% year over year to $1.18 billion at year-end 2025 2.
As financial services grows, Grab needs to fund new loans upfront, then wait for repayments and interest. That cash timing does not match the headline profit figure.

Grab is putting money into autonomous-vehicle infrastructure alongside superapp services

The strategy reaches beyond adding features in the app. It aims to deepen its role in regional mobility and financial services.
Rather than waiting for autonomous vehicles (AVs), Grab is lining up partners and investments in AV technology firms such as WeRide and May Mobility 3 4.
Grab also became the exclusive distributor of Hesai’s lidar products in Southeast Asia. Lidar is a sensor technology that uses lasers to help vehicles see their surroundings, a key component for many self-driving systems 5.
This approach may lead other digital platforms to spend more on foundational technology so they can shape how their ecosystems develop over time.