Grab Encourages Market Traders to Sell Online, Boosting Regional Revenue

Grab Indonesia has continued its Kota Masa Depan (Future City) programme in Banjarmasin, equipping MSME traders with mentoring and skills to sell digitally. Kota Masa Depan is a programme to accelerate MSME digitalisation that can contribute to regional revenue. The programme has been running since 2021 and has engaged more than 200,000 MSMEs in 17 Indonesian cities. Training in Banjarmasin itself has been conducted over four months. Participants are trained and mentored on how to develop their businesses, including guidance on entering the digital space, business marketing, and finance. “What we do is intensive mentoring for four months. So, starting from mentoring on how to enter digitalisation, then conducting marketing training, financial literacy, and access to capital. We also provide practical tips and tricks on how to run a good business when entering the digital era,” said Yose Tireza Arizal, Head of Expansion Operations Territory at Grab Indonesia, during the Kota Masa Depan event at Banjarmasin City Hall on Thursday (18/6/2026). Grab also affirmed its commitment to supporting market vendors, from vegetable and fish sellers to household goods traders, to go digital. Yose expressed hope that this support would make the income ecosystem for entrepreneurs more inclusive. “Grab is also committed to supporting market MSMEs, not just GrabFood merchants. So, if you have a business in the market, from vegetable sellers, fishmongers, to household needs, you can also enter Grab’s digitalisation. We support all of them,” he explained. “We hope Banjarmasin will also open up more inclusive income opportunities. From housewives, from women who want to work in digital product sales, to driver-partners, they play a very important role in connecting MSMEs with the market,” he added. Yose said the programme will continue to expand to other cities, though he did not specify which ones would be visited next. “So far, we have engaged 200,000 MSMEs. If the number of cities increases, we will certainly see the number of participants increase as well. But we hope to engage many more,” he stated. Athya Nasya Ulya from Hai Hai Ricebowl, one of the participating MSMEs, said the training was very useful as entrepreneurs were taught various aspects of business. “We don’t just sell haphazardly. We are taught how to advertise on digital platforms and how to set prices. Everything is taught here. So, we don’t do things carelessly. Selling nowadays cannot be done carelessly,” she explained.