Grab to acquire Foodpanda Taiwan for $600m

Grab said it has agreed to buy Foodpanda Taiwan for US$600 million in cash, on a cash-free and debt-free basis, and subject to customary closing adjustments, in a deal it expects to close in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and other conditions.

The company said the purchase would give it coverage in 21 cities in Taiwan and make the island its ninth market, and its first outside Southeast Asia.

Grab said Foodpanda Taiwan will keep operating until users, merchants, and drivers are migrated to the Grab app, which it targets to finish by early 2027.

Grab reiterated its 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance of US$700 million to US$720 million and said the deal should add at least US$60 million in incremental adjusted EBITDA in 2028.

🔗 Source: Grab

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Grab’s $600 million deal follows a blocked $950 million Foodpanda Taiwan deal from Uber

Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the island’s antitrust regulator, stopped Uber’s proposed US$950 million purchase of Delivery Hero’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan in December 2024 1.
The FTC said a merged Uber Eats and Foodpanda would have held more than 90% of Taiwan’s food delivery platform market 1.
The regulator worried that level of control could lift consumer prices and push up commissions for restaurant operators, since Uber Eats’ main rival in Taiwan was Foodpanda 1.
Uber said it was disappointed and offered fixes, yet the FTC concluded the proposed changes would not resolve the competition concerns 2.

Regulatory hurdles are reshaping the global food delivery landscape

The FTC decision signals regulators are more willing to stop consolidation among tech platforms, including rejecting deals even after remedy proposals 1.
That stance pressures large players like Uber to rethink growth plans, since buying the top competitor in a market may no longer work 1.
The same conditions open space for newcomers like Grab in Taiwan to pick up assets from sellers such as Delivery Hero after an earlier deal failed on competition grounds 1.
The result could be a more split global market, where regional champions move into new territories instead of global giants nearing monopoly positions everywhere 3.