In a move signalling the accelerating role of stablecoins in global finance, Asian superapp developer Grab has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with StraitsX to explore the development of Web3-enabled wallets and a stablecoin-based settlement layer across Asia. This landmark collaboration underscores how institutions are moving from experimental blockchain pilots to scaled infrastructure around digital-asset rails.
Under the new agreement with StraitsX, Grab will integrate Web3-connected wallets directly into its platform, allowing users across multiple Asian markets to hold and transact with stablecoins such as StraitsX-issued XSGD and XUSD. StraitsX will provide the technical framework for wallet functionality, smart-contract settlement, and compliance protocols.
The expanded platform functionality will enable merchants and consumers across Southeast Asia to transact via stablecoins, reducing the friction of cross-border payments and foreign-exchange layers. It will also integrate custody, wallet, and programmable settlement infrastructure in a regulated environment, seamlessly bridging Web2 payment rails with Web3 settlement flows, so that enterprise clients and institutional merchants can access real-time settlement, treasury optimisation and programmable liquidity tools via the stablecoin layer.
This initiative exemplifies the broader institutional adoption of stablecoins. Once mostly the domain of crypto traders, stablecoins are now being embraced by large fintechs, payment firms, and enterprises as a core settlement infrastructure. A recent study by TRM Labs found that stablecoins now comprise about 30 % of all on-chain crypto transaction volume, recording more than $4 trillion in transfers between January and July 2025 — an 83 % increase over the same period in 2024.
In parallel with its stablecoin roadmap, Grab is also advancing other high-tech initiatives, such as artificial intelligence. The company has built an internal AI assistant (“Jarvis”), launched an AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore, and now operates more than a thousand AI models across its platform to enhance routing, mapping, pricing, merchant tools, and financial services. This reinforces Grab’s broader strategy of embedding next-generation technologies, from AI to stablecoin-based settlement layers, into its ecosystem to drive faster, safer, and more efficient digital payment and e-commerce experiences across Asia.
