• Grab will invest tens of millions of dollars in WeRide, with the transaction expected to close by the first half of 2026.
• The investment is part of a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the large-scale deployment of L4 robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles in Southeast Asia.

Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD) announced today that it has secured tens of millions of dollars in equity investment commitments from Southeast Asian super app Grab (NASDAQ: GRAB) to accelerate its expansion in Southeast Asia.

The investment is expected to close by the first half of 2026 and builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two parties in March 2025.

The investment is part of a strategic partnership between the two companies aimed at accelerating the large-scale deployment of L4 robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles in Southeast Asia, WeRide said.

Grab is a diversified super app in Southeast Asia that integrates ride-hailing, food delivery, and digital payments.

The two parties plan to integrate WeRide's robotaxis into Grab's network and jointly conduct skills training to help Grab drivers and local community members who are interested in career transitions and obtain career development paths in the autonomous driving industry, it said.

WeRide will apply its autonomous driving technology to Grab's fleet management, vehicle matching, and route planning systems.

The move will support WeRide's growth strategy of expanding its commercial autonomous vehicle fleet in Southeast Asia and advancing AI-driven mobility, the company said.

WeRide's vision in Southeast Asia is to gradually deploy thousands of robotaxis in accordance with local regulations and societal readiness, said Han Xu, the company's founder and CEO.

WeRide was founded in 2017 and is one of China's earliest companies focused on advanced smart driving solutions. On October 25, 2024, the company listed on the Nasdaq.

On June 23, local media outlet Jiemian reported that WeRide had confidentially submitted an application to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the latest company to do so.

At the end of last month, WeRide announced that it had obtained the first local robotaxi autonomous driving license in Saudi Arabia, becoming the only technology company in the world with autonomous driving licenses in six countries: Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, France, and the United States.

This means that WeRide is authorized to operate robotaxi services and deploy robotaxis nationwide in Saudi Arabia, initially in Riyadh in a pilot operation with Uber and its local partner Ai Driver, the company said.