Robinhood and foodpanda announce strategic redirection agreement

Effective immediately, the agreement seeks to ensure a seamless transition for foodpanda’s customers, restaurant partners, and delivery riders in Thailand to Robinhood, as foodpanda ceases its local operations by May 23.

To facilitate this transition, Robinhood has enhanced its app to be more English-language friendly, particularly to accommodate international customers who were previously served by foodpanda.

Robinhood’s platform currently operates in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, with plans to expand into key regional cities by the end of this year.

Originally developed by SCBX to support local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, Robinhood was founded on a strong commitment to social responsibility.

Following the successful completion of its initial mission, the platform was adopted by the Yip In Tsoi Group, which has since driven its development with a long-term vision focused on digital innovation, and economic and social impact.

Recognising the important role foodpanda’s ecosystem plays in Thailand, Morakot Yipintsoi, CEO of Robinhood, said the company is dedicated to making this transition smooth and inclusive.

She affirmed the company’s goal is to strengthen the local food delivery landscape and empower the individuals and small businesses at its heart — including customers, merchants, and riders.

“This agreement marks a significant moment in Thailand’s food delivery industry — demonstrating how international brands and local platforms can collaborate to deliver innovation and continuity,” she said.

“We are committed to welcoming foodpanda’s customers and partners with open arms, ensuring a smooth, human-centred transition based on fairness, service quality, and care.”

As foodpanda prepares to exit the Thai market, its network of riders, restaurant partners, and customers will be redirected to Robinhood, continuing a legacy of fairness, trust and excellent service.

Amid intense competition in the food delivery market, Robinhood is committed to supporting its partners throughout the transition and beyond, fostering their sustained growth within the Robinhood ecosystem.

Renowned for its fast, reliable and transparent delivery practices, Robinhood refrains from batching orders to ensure meals are delivered fresh—prioritising both customer satisfaction and rider well-being, Morakot explained.

The platform consistently upholds fair compensation, clear working conditions, and long-term support for its delivery partners.

Looking ahead, Robinhood remains focused on advancing its business model, technology, and services with a human-centred approach.

The platform positions itself not just as a food delivery service, but as a key driver of community-led economic development — guided by the principle of building a Good Business Ecosystem, where sustainable growth benefits all.

Revealing the friendly win-win deal

In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Morakot revealed that she had held direct discussions with Delivery Hero, the German firm that owns foodpanda, during the first week following the closure announcement.

Despite concerns from many that engaging with such a major business would be daunting and complex, she moved forward with the talks.

She emphasised that the arrangement was neither a takeover nor a formal partnership. Due to personal data protection laws, foodpanda is unable to directly transfer customer information to Robinhood.

Instead, foodpanda will communicate with its existing customer base, encouraging them to try the Robinhood platform, she explained, adding that Robinhood likely did not invest a significant sum in this arrangement.

“This was a friendship talk,” she said. “We want to support the riders and restaurants in foodpanda’s network, especially as Robinhood is a Thai-owned brand.”

“We told Delivery Hero that our app is open and welcoming to their riders and merchants—should they choose to join us, it's entirely up to them.”

Morakot noted that by stepping in to support foodpanda’s customer base, restaurants, and riders, Robinhood gains a valuable opportunity to expand its user and partner network across the country.

Foodpanda already has widespread coverage in Bangkok and provincial areas—filling gaps where Robinhood seeks to strengthen its presence, particularly outside the capital.

At present, she admitted, Robinhood is still operating at a loss, mainly due to rider subsidies. However, the goal is to reach profitability by 2025—a milestone that will require continued support from users.

“The food delivery market boomed during Covid, but over the past two to three years, it has contracted. Still, consumer habits—such as ordering food to their homes—remain strong, in line with the growing living trend. The market may no longer expand explosively, but there’s still room for steady growth,” she said.

A super app and future ambitions

Today, Robinhood is part of the Yip In Tsoi Group, a company with nearly a century of history connecting people through evolving technology. The company’s vision is to become a super app for Thais, expanding beyond food delivery into services such as ride-hailing and logistics.

It also sees potential in helping Thai entrepreneurs export their products internationally, all while adhering to ESG principles—particularly the Social and Environmental aspects.

Challenges remain, especially attracting vendors and riders—some of whom are bound by contracts with other platforms—as well as raising public awareness and encouraging users to support a Thai platform.

Nevertheless, Robinhood is confident in its business model, which is grounded in mutual support, and hopes Thai consumers will continue to back its sustainable growth.

Robinhood has made strides by expanding its restaurant listings, providing road safety training to riders through traffic police partnerships, educating restaurant owners on marketing, and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse customer behaviour, Morakot explained.

She added that, in the future, they hope to develop Robinhood into a platform that supports the health and wellbeing of everyone in its ecosystem—by recommending healthy restaurants and promoting nutritious menu options.