(Yicai) Sept. 18 -- 99, the food delivery platform in Brazil under Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi, has announced it will increase its investment in the Brazilian market.

99 will invest BRL2 billion (USD188.1 million) in its food delivery platform 99Food by June next year, the Brazilian food delivery subsidiary of Didi said on Sept. 15, adding that it will also launch a BRL‌6 billion support plan to provide delivery drivers with funds to buy and lease electric motorcycles and bicycles.

On the same day, Didi’s founder and Chief Executive Officer Cheng Wei was reported to have met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula, along with other executives from 99.

Didi launched 99Food on April 5, integrating the app with its local ride-hailing and digital payment services. 99Food is now available in multiple Brazilian cities, including Goiânia and São Paulo. By mid-2026, 99Food aims to expand to more than 100 Brazilian cities, according to a spokesperson.

99 is not the only Chinese food delivery firm in the Brazilian market. On May 12, on-demand services giant Meituan announced it would invest USD1 billion over five years to boost the expansion and growth of its food delivery app Keeta in Brazil.

This investment will help Keeta develop digital tools, allocate marketing resources, build a logistics network with over 100,000 riders, open a customer service center, and hire more than 1,000 local employees, CEO Chou Guangyu said.

Keeta will focus on food delivery now and may consider foraying into the fresh grocery and pharmaceutical e-commerce in the future, but it will not enter the ride-hailing business, Chou noted, adding that it is expected to be available in 15 metropolitan areas by June next year and cover 1,000 major cities within five years.

Meituan has already set up a local team in Brazil. Its founder Wang Xing said during the company’s second-quarter earnings conference call on Aug. 27 that he is confident about the Brazilian market.

So far, the coexistence of 99 and Keeta has not been very peaceful.

On Aug. 11, Meituan said that a São Paulo court issued an injunction ordering 99 to stop manipulating search results for the term ‘Keeta’ on Google and similar platforms within three days. Failure to comply would incur a daily fine of BRL20,000 (USD3,640).

Keeta claimed on Aug. 14 that 99Food was offering upfront cash incentives to merchants to sign ‘single-platform’ contracts that prevent them from working with Keeta, which will subsequently restrict market competition and crimp innovation.

On the same day, the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants issued a public statement endorsing Keeta’s position and condemning exclusive contracts or practices restricting market access.

99 filed a lawsuit against Meituan’s Keeta in a São Paulo court over alleged trademark infringement and unfair competition on Aug. 18, claiming that Keeta’s app uses colors, graphics, and fonts similar to its 99Food app, which could confuse consumers. It also asked the court to order Keeta to redesign its logo.

In response, Keeta said that its visual identity was established more than three years ago and, since then, it has been associated with Meituan, which was founded more than 14 years ago.

Editor: Futura Costaglione