Why Singapore Merchants Are Turning to GrabPay for Cashless Growth
- Pedro Garcia
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
GrabPay has become one of the most recognised digital payment methods in Singapore, driving the nation’s shift toward a fully cashless economy. Operating as part of the Grab super-app ecosystem, GrabPay enables consumers to pay instantly via QR code or mobile wallet while allowing merchants to enjoy fast, secure, and traceable transactions.
Today, GrabPay works with over 600,000 merchants across Southeast Asia, making it one of the region’s largest digital-wallet networks. In Singapore alone, the platform has an estimated 4.9 million users, covering nearly the entire adult population. This reach means that for local merchants, accepting GrabPay is no longer just an option but an expectation from customers who prefer quick, contactless payments.
A recent industry report also showed that 77% of all transactions made on the Grab platform were processed through GrabPay, and its cashless usage rate was 1.3 times higher than the national average. These figures highlight the payment method’s growing dominance and reliability in daily commerce.
For small and medium-sized businesses, integrating GrabPay through a trusted payment gateway such as Debia provides the dual advantage of modern convenience and back-end efficiency. Merchants can serve a larger audience while managing settlements, receipts, and reporting through a single unified dashboard.
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What Does GrabPay Bring for Merchants?
GrabPay operates as a QR-based e-wallet that links directly to users’ bank accounts or stored wallet balances. For merchants, this offers an easy entry point into the cashless economy without complex hardware requirements. Customers scan a static or dynamic QR code using their Grab app, and payments are instantly reflected in the merchant’s settlement account.
For businesses, GrabPay brings several advantages:
Faster payments and seamless checkout: With QR payments completed in seconds, it reduces queues and improves transaction flow during peak hours.
Customer loyalty and visibility: Merchants benefit from Grab’s built-in ecosystem, appearing in the app’s marketplace and reward campaigns.
Because GrabPay operates under Singapore’s PayNow QR standard, merchants can also unify GrabPay acceptance with other participating wallets and banks under a single QR interface, reducing fragmentation and simplifying operations.
Why GrabPay Matters for SMEs in Singapore
Singapore’s mobile payment penetration continues to grow, and GrabPay sits at the heart of this shift. A 2024 Visa study showed that over 70% of Singaporeans now prefer to pay via QR or e-wallet instead of cash. This consumer behaviour is strongest among younger, mobile-first shoppers and working professionals, who value convenience and speed over traditional card methods.
For SMEs, this means GrabPay is not just a payment method but a channel for customer engagement. Through GrabRewards, merchants can tap into Grab’s loyalty ecosystem without running their own programmes. GrabPay users are also more likely to make repeat purchases and higher-value transactions when incentives are present, giving small businesses both reach and retention benefits.
How Debia Helps Merchants Accept GrabPay Seamlessly
Debia integrates GrabPay acceptance directly into its unified POS and gateway systems. Whether you’re using a countertop terminal, mobile soft POS, or online API, GrabPay can be enabled alongside card and bank rails within the same dashboard. This enables merchants to view transactions in real-time, track settlement reports, and export performance data without needing to switch between providers.
Debia’s onboarding is fast and fully digital, meaning businesses can start accepting GrabPay within a few business days after verification. Pricing is transaction-based, ensuring you pay only for successful payments.
For merchants already using PayNow QR, enabling GrabPay requires no additional hardware changes; Debia simply links GrabPay acceptance to the same dynamic QR flow. The platform is MAS-licensed, PCI DSS compliant, and built for merchants who need both flexibility and reliability in a growing multi-rail environment.
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Trends and Data on GrabPay Adoption
In addition to helping external merchants accept digital payments. Aside from Indonesia, where OVO Pay ranks as the top payment method for Grab users, Grab Pay is the most commonly used payment method when paying for Grab bills. In both the Philippines and Malaysia, Grab Pay is the leading payment method for all, whereas in Singapore and Thailand, Grab Pay is second, only behind traditional credit cards.
Three macro trends are defining GrabPay’s position in Singapore’s digital payments scene:
QR code standardisation: The Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR) has unified dozens of wallet systems, allowing GrabPay, PayNow, and others to work seamlessly under one national framework.
Cross-border interoperability: GrabPay has expanded beyond Singapore, offering payment capabilities across six Southeast Asian markets, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. This benefits merchants that serve regional travellers or cross-border e-commerce customers.
Consumer engagement through rewards: GrabPay's built-in loyalty system drives repeat transactions, with GrabRewards integration encouraging customers to consolidate spending within Grab's ecosystem for points accumulation and redemption benefits."
Together, these trends show why merchants that support GrabPay position themselves at the intersection of convenience, loyalty, and regional connectivity.
Conclusion
GrabPay is more than a digital wallet; it is a consumer engagement platform that connects businesses with millions of active users across Singapore and the region. Its speed, reliability, and strong ecosystem make it an essential payment rail for merchants looking to capture both everyday and loyal customers.
Through Debia’s unified payment gateway, enabling GrabPay becomes simple and transparent. You can view transactions, reconcile settlements, and grow your digital acceptance footprint, all from one dashboard.
To learn how GrabPay fits alongside PayNow, Visa, Mastercard, and other rails, visit Debia Payments or email us at hello@debia.co.