NEW YORK, January 7, 2026, 09:03 EST — Premarket
- Grab shares were higher in premarket trading after the company disclosed a robotics acquisition.
- The deal spotlights automation in “first mile” and “last mile” delivery, where costs can swing margins.
- Investors’ next hard catalyst is fourth-quarter results expected in February.
Grab Holdings Limited shares were up about 1% in premarket trade on Wednesday, extending the prior session’s rally as investors digested the company’s push into delivery automation.
The Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food delivery firm said on Tuesday it bought China-based Infermove, a developer of AI-enabled robotics solutions, with the aim of strengthening its “first mile” and “last mile” delivery capabilities. Reuters
Why it matters now: delivery platforms have little room for error on costs, and the final leg to a customer’s door is often the priciest part of the trip. Grab has also been trying to convince investors it can grow without leaning so hard on incentives, after lifting its full-year revenue outlook and adjusted EBITDA target in its last reported quarter.
The move comes as U.S. equity futures edged lower after an AI-led run on Tuesday, with traders waiting on U.S. labour data that can reset interest-rate expectations and hit high-growth stocks first.
Grab did not disclose financial terms. It said it would develop Infermove’s solutions out of Singapore and explore how autonomous robots could improve customer and partner experiences — basically, automating the first leg and final leg of a delivery run.
Grab shares jumped 3.5% on Tuesday and closed at $5.27; the stock touched $5.36 at the session high. Premarket trade on Wednesday held near those levels.
The robotics deal also fits a broader thread in the region: ride-hailing and delivery players are testing autonomy where rules allow, while trying to defend share against local rivals. Grab last month backed China’s self-driving startup Momenta as the firms said they would work together in Southeast Asia.
Still, a separate pressure point sits in the filings. A Form 144 submitted on Monday showed director and chief people officer Chin Yin Ong planned to sell up to 114,000 Grab shares under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan — a preset program that can allow insiders to trade on a schedule.
But the downside case is straightforward: Grab has not said what it paid or when, or how quickly robots move from pilots to meaningful scale. If the tech takes longer to deploy, or regulators tighten rules around autonomous systems, the deal risks looking like a distraction in a business where pricing and competition still do most of the heavy lifting.
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