The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (the Center) has announced a partnership with the Tech for Good Institute (TFGI) and Grab to strengthen research and data capabilities that can help guide inclusive growth across Asia.
This collaboration aims to generate evidence-based insights to support the design of programmes, policies and interventions that promote inclusive economic participation and digital empowerment for underserved communities.
Asia is undergoing a major demographic and economic transformation. With nearly one billion people projected to join the middle class by 2035, cities such as Jakarta, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are emerging as key hubs of growth. The partnership between the Center, TFGI and Grab seeks to ensure that this transformation is inclusive, data-driven and sustainable.
Through the partnership, the Center will support TFGI’s core operations and research agenda, enabling deeper engagement with regional stakeholders and the production of insights to inform inclusive digital and financial inclusion strategies across the region. Grab will continue to contribute in-kind resources and infrastructure support to TFGI’s work.
“As more people move into the global middle class, there is an immense opportunity to drive inclusive economic growth by bringing more people into the digital economy. Yet, many institutions and policymakers still lack the data and insights needed to ensure that this shift benefits everyone. This partnership with the Tech for Good Institute and Grab fills that gap, so we can ground our programmes in empirical evidence and ensure inclusive economic growth is measurable and achievable for all,”
— Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Executive Vice President, Sustainability, Mastercard
“The Tech for Good Institute was established with a clear purpose: to produce data-driven insights that inform how technology can be harnessed for transformational social impact. This partnership allows us to broaden the scope and scale of our programmes, empowering policymakers and businesses with the evidence and tools necessary to create impactful interventions. By combining our regional expertise with Mastercard’s global reach, we can better support inclusive digital transformation that benefits all segments of society,”
— Ilaria Chan, Chairperson, Tech for Good Institute
“Grab helped establish the Tech for Good Institute because we believe that rigorous, independent research is essential to understanding how technology can drive inclusive growth. Over the years, TFGI has played an important role in convening industry and government partners to foster discussions on topics such as digital resilience, trust, and cross-border data flows. Grab welcomes Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s support for TFGI and we are confident that together, we can further advance the agenda on digital adoption and financial inclusion,”
— Alex Hungate, President and Chief Operating Officer, Grab
The collaboration sets a strong foundation for new insights and innovative solutions that can shape policies and programmes to create equitable and lasting impact across Asia’s digital economy.
About the Partners
About the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise, and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs, and empower a community of thinkers, leaders, and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth.
About the Tech for Good Institute (TFGI)
The Tech for Good Institute (TFGI) is a non-profit think tank founded by Grab in 2021 to advance dialogue and research on technology’s role in society. TFGI focuses on generating evidence-based insights in digital economy and digital society, covering inclusive finance, credit access, digital transformation, and sustainable consumption.It works with policymakers, businesses, and civil society to promote inclusive growth across Asia to enable sustainable, equitable and inclusive growth for Southeast Asia and beyond.
About Grab
Grab is a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, operating across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors. Serving over 800 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – Grab enables millions of people everyday to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending and insurance, all through a single app. We operate supermarkets in Malaysia under Jaya Grocer and Everrise, which enables us to bring the convenience of on-demand grocery delivery to more consumers in the country. As part of our financial services offerings, we also provide digital banking services through GXS Bank in Singapore and GXBank in Malaysia. Grab was founded in 2012 with the mission to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone. Grab strives to serve a triple bottom line – we aim to simultaneously deliver financial performance for our shareholders and have a positive social impact, which includes economic empowerment for millions of people in the region, while mitigating our environmental footprint.
