Grab is one of Southeast Asia’s largest super-apps with services spanning transport, food delivery, financial payments and digital banking. StraitsX is a regulated payment institution under the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the issuer of stablecoins such as XSGD and XUSD.
The two firms have signed a partnership to integrate a Web3 wallet inside the Grab app and enable stablecoin-based settlement for merchant transactions. The collaboration aims to support consumer payments and cross-border transfers using regulated digital currencies rather than volatile tokens.
Expanding Stablecoin Payments Across Asia
Under the plan, Grab users may soon hold stablecoins in an integrated Web3 wallet, while merchants on GrabPay could accept these assets and receive local-currency settlement through StraitsX’s infrastructure.
The intention is to merge familiar user experience with blockchain-based settlement so mainstream consumers do not need separate crypto apps.
Coverage is expected to extend across multiple Southeast Asian markets, including locations where cross-border transfers remain expensive and fragmented.
A Push Toward Programmable Finance
StraitsX will supply regulated stablecoins and technical settlement layers, while Grab provides distribution through its merchant network and super-app ecosystem.
The structure allows programmable payments: merchants can automate treasury workflows, settle invoices faster, or route liquidity between accounts with greater transparency.
This aligns with regional experiments in tokenised deposits and digital-asset settlements that aim to modernise clearing systems. The partnership is notable because it brings Web3 payments to a mass-market platform with tens of millions of active users.
Previous Web3 pilots in the region were limited to small trials or niche crypto audiences. Bringing stablecoins into an everyday app shifts Web3 usage from speculative circles to practical consumer activity.
For StraitsX it opens adoption beyond crypto exchanges and into daily transactions, positioning its stablecoins as infrastructure rather than investment instruments.
For Grab it reinforces its digital-financial strategy and differentiates its payments ecosystem in a region where cashless adoption is accelerating.
Challenges In A Multi-Market Rollout
Regulatory approvals vary across Southeast Asian markets and will determine how quickly features can go live. Merchant-side onboarding also remains complex because legacy point-of-sale systems must integrate with new settlement rails.
User trust will depend on transparent conversion pathways, clear fees and strong consumer-protection standards around stablecoin custody.
Final Words
The next phase will reveal how Grab introduces the Web3 wallet, how merchants respond to stablecoin payments and whether cross-border corridors see faster settlement.
If the model works, other regional super-apps may follow, accelerating a broader movement toward hybrid fiat-crypto payments across Asia.
