Grab Philippines has partnered with the International Trade Centre (ITC), the joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, to strengthen the digital and AI capabilities of Filipino MSMEs.
The collaboration brings together Grab’s Grab Asenso: Digital Diskarte public-private partnership program and ITC’s Inclusive, Competitive and Responsible Digital Philippines (Digital PINAS) program.
Through the pilot, ITC’s micro-business development expertise will be integrated into Grab Asenso Learning Caravans in regional cities through the end of 2026. These include Davao City, Cebu City, the City of San Fernando, and Puerto Princesa.
The partnership will focus on two areas: expert-led masterclasses for participating MSMEs and a merchant monitoring framework to track whether the training translates into measurable business results.
The hands-on sessions will cover setting up and optimizing digital business profiles and online presence, developing brand and marketing content, and using AI tools to improve business operations.
Depending on the needs of MSMEs in each city, the masterclasses may also cover e-commerce, financial management, responsible technology adoption, export readiness, and other digital business fundamentals.
Grab will also conduct refresher sessions on tools such as the Merchant AI Assistant, a digital copilot designed to help merchants with day-to-day business tasks, and Tap and Scan to Pay, which enables cashless payments through QR codes and cards.
To measure the program’s impact, Grab and ITC will track changes in merchants’ business practices, technology use, and performance through assessments, check-ins, surveys, and adoption data. The findings will help guide future improvements and contribute to broader efforts to advance MSME digitalization in the Philippines
