Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Grab’s planned $600 million purchase of Delivery Hero’s foodpanda business on Wednesday, Oct. 21, saying Uber’s ties to Grab could weaken competition in Taiwan’s concentrated food delivery market.
The regulator said foodpanda and Uber Eats dominate Taiwan’s delivery market. Grab does not operate in Taiwan; the proposed purchase would have brought it into the market through foodpanda’s business and made it a major competitor to Uber Eats. The FTC said network effects and high barriers to entry reinforced the market’s concentration. It concluded that potential harm to competition outweighed the deal’s overall economic benefits and prohibited the transaction under Article 13, Paragraph 1 of Taiwan’s Fair Trade Act.
The FTC cited Uber’s approximately 13.1% shareholding in Grab and 3.9% of its voting rights, as well as past board overlap and business cooperation. It said those links could give Grab less incentive to compete with Uber Eats. The commission rejected proposed safeguards that included reducing Uber’s stake, limiting its board representation and restricting access to competitively sensitive information. It said it could not ensure the measures would work and that Uber would have to reduce its holding further, potentially selling all of it.
The FTC also blocked Uber Eats’ proposed purchase of the same Taiwan operations in December 2024, citing competition concerns.
Grab and Delivery Hero announced the cash sale on March 23, 2026, with completion then targeted for the second half of 2026 if regulators approved it. Delivery Hero said the Taiwan operation generated EUR 1.5 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2025 and positive adjusted EBITDA before allocation of group costs. The company said it planned to use the proceeds to repay debt and for general corporate purposes.
Grab expressed disappointment, Focus Taiwan reported. The outlet also reported that delivery-worker groups welcomed the ruling. A union leader cited by Focus Taiwan said reduced competition could affect delivery workers’ pay, restaurant commissions and consumer choice. Delivery Hero said the FTC decision did not affect its right to appeal.
