This is precisely why you have regional marketing teams. It's all situational, but IME a dedicated team for a region (APAC, EMEA, etc.) is better at executing than a single centralized global team. Typically the operational aspects can be delegated to the regions who know the individual markets best, while things like branding stay central.

Does that particular aspect require full time staff in-situ, though?

Just the legal aspects of regulation would. See Uber's struggles in London.

Where better to get expertise in a region's culture than the region?

By hiring a local business to do it, rather than hiring a set of full-time staff yourself?

For a company that's about the gig economy, they make some strange staffing choices.