Mastercard, Grab bring high-quality skills training to business partners

Mastercard and Grab have launched a regional partnership to facilitate new skills to millions of informal workers and small businesses in Southeast Asia (SEA).

This partnership aims to create bespoke training programs to support digital entrepreneurship and digital upskilling for Grab’s driver-, delivery-, and small business partners.

The Mastercard-Grab partnership aims to grant underserved communities access to core digital, financial and business skills to help them better manage their finances and businesses, and participate fully in the digital economy.

The two firms are co-creating three different training programs – Small Business Training, Driver Entrepreneurship Training and Driver Financial Literacy Training – targeted at Grab’s driver, delivery and merchant-partners.

Set for roll out across the region in the fourth quarter of 2021, Grab’s partners can access these programs for free through the Grab Driver and Merchant apps.

As part of the Mastercard Academy 2.0 initiative, Mastercard is extending its cybersecurity certification program to Grab’s driver-partners and their family members, and business mentorship access program to driver-partners and merchant-partners.

Mastercard has joined Grab’s recently established Tech for Good Institute as an advisory board member. The Institute seeks to work with the public and private sectors to harness technology for good to support the region’s growth and development.

“Grab has extensive reach in Southeast Asia, and Mastercard is exceptionally proud to be working with a partner that is equally deeply committed to using that reach to provide economic opportunity,” said Rama Sridhar, Executive Vice President, Digital & Emerging Partnerships and New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific, Mastercard.

Through partnerships with leading companies like Mastercard, Grab expects to bring high-quality training programs to millions of people and businesses on its platform.

“We truly believe that this partnership has the potential to unlock economic growth in communities across the region,” said Cheryl Goh, Group Head of Marketing and Sustainability, Grab.