Ride-hailing giant Grab enables crypto payments in the Philippines

Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing app now enables payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and several stablecoins.

Retail crypto use cases are slowly becoming mainstream globally. On Monday, July 28, Grab, the biggest ride-hailing app in Southeast Asia, announced adding support for crypto payments in the Philippines. Users in the country will now be able to top up Grab’s cash balance with Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), as well as USDC and USDT stablecoins.

This feature was enabled through a partnership with Triple-A, a company that specializes in crypto payments. The two companies first started collaborating in 2024, when Grab rolled out a similar crypto top-up feature in Singapore. Triple-A CEO, Eric Barbier, stated that the move would make digital currencies more accessible and easier to use in everyday life in Southeast Asia.

“We had a successful launch of GrabPay top-ups with cryptocurrency in Singapore. The response has been fantastic. Now, we’re looking forward to bringing this service to the Philippines, a market that’s ready for digital currencies,” Eric Barbier, Triple-A.

The Philippines leads in crypto adoption

In addition to Triple-A, Grab also partnered with a local crypto exchange, PDAX. Its CEO, Nichel Gaba, highlighted that, due to a variety of factors, the Philippines is a leader in crypto adoption, both regionally and even worldwide.

PDAX CEO hopes that this move would both support existing crypto users and drive further adoption. At the same time, Garb’s executive CJ Lacsican explained that crypto plays an important role in digital inclusion in developing countries.

“By offering more accessible, digital-first solutions, we aim to empower a wider spectrum of Filipinos — especially those with limited access to traditional banking or those who prefer the convenience of digital currencies,” CJ Lacsican, Grab Philippines.