SINGAPORE: Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc. has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday, in what would be the US company’s second retreat from Asia.
The deal, which could be announced as early as Monday, marks the industry’s first big consolidation in Southeast Asia, home to about 640 million people, and puts pressure on rivals such as Indonesia’s Go-Jek, backed by Alphabet Inc’s Google and China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd.
As part of the transaction, Uber would get a stake of as much as 30 percent in the combined business, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter who did not want to be identified as the deal is not yet public.
Another source familiar with the deal said Uber would acquire a 25 percent to 30 percent stake in Grab, valuing the entire business at $6 billion, the same valuation it commanded in its most recent capital raising.
Uber and Singapore-based Grab, Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing firm, declined to comment.
Expectations of consolidation in Asia’s fiercely competitive ride-hailing industry were stoked earlier this year when Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. made a multi-billion dollar investment in Uber.
SoftBank is also one of the main investors in several of Uber’s rivals, including Grab, China’s Didi Chuxing, and India’s Ola.
Ride-hailing companies throughout Asia have relied on discounts and promotions to attract both riders and drivers in the fast-growing market, driving down profit margins.
Uber, which is preparing for a potential initial public offering in 2019, lost $4.5 billion last year and is facing fierce competition at home and in Asia, as well as a regulatory crackdown in Europe.
It is also recovering from a year of scandals that saw co-founder Travis Kalanick forced out as chief executive in June amid US criminal inquiries and a workplace marred by sexual harassment allegations.
SoftBank gained two seats on Uber’s board of directors through its investment and has said it wants the company to focus on growing in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Australia, but not in Asia, due to the lack of profitability.
Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at a conference in New York in November that the company’s Asia operations were not going to be “profitable any time soon,” particularly because of how heavily Uber was subsidizing rides there.
“The economics of that market are not what we want them to be,” he said at the time.
Khosrowshahi, who took over the top job at Uber in August, has been working to clean up the company’s financials ahead taking it public.
Still, during a visit to India in February, he pledged to continue investing aggressively in Southeast Asia.
Now that Uber is pulling out of Southeast Asia, attention may turn to the company’s operations in India, which accounts for more than 10 percent of Uber’s trips globally, but is not making money yet.
Uber’s deal with Grab would be similar to the one struck in China in 2016, when a bruising price war ended in Didi Chuxing buying out Uber’s China business in return for a stake in the company.
Grab raised about $2.5 billion last July from Didi, SoftBank and others in a deal valuing the company at around $6 billion. Bloomberg first reported the deal.
Uber to sell Southeast Asia business to rival Grab -sources
Uber to sell Southeast Asia business to rival Grab -sources
Education spending surges 251% as students return from autumn break: SAMA
RIYADH: Education spending in Saudi Arabia surged 251.3 percent in the week ending Dec. 6, reflecting the sharp uptick in purchases as students returned from the autumn break.
According to the latest data from the Saudi Central Bank, expenditure in the sector reached SR218.73 million ($58.2 million), with the number of transactions increasing by 61 percent to 233,000.
Despite this surge, overall point-of-sale spending fell 4.3 percent to SR14.45 billion, while the number of transactions dipped 1.7 percent to 236.18 million week on week.
The week saw mixed changes between the sectors. Spending on freight transport, postal and courier services saw the second-biggest uptick at 33.3 percent to SR60.93 million, followed by medical services, which saw an 8.1 percent increase to SR505.35 million.
Expenditure on apparel and clothing saw a decrease of 16.3 percent, followed by a 2 percent reduction in spending on telecommunication.
Jewelry outlays witnessed an 8.1 percent decline to reach SR325.90 million. Data revealed decreases across many other sectors, led by hotels, which saw the largest dip at 24.5 percent to reach SR335.98 million.
Spending on car rentals in the Kingdom fell by 12.6 percent, while airlines saw a 3.7 percent increase to SR46.28 million.
Expenditure on food and beverages saw a 1.7 percent increase to SR2.35 billion, claiming the largest share of the POS. Restaurants and cafes retained the second position despite a 12.6 percent dip to SR1.66 billion.
Saudi Arabia’s key urban centers mirrored the national decline. Riyadh, which accounted for the largest share of total POS spending, saw a 3.9 percent dip to SR4.89 billion, down from SR5.08 billion the previous week.
The number of transactions in the capital settled at 74.16 million, down 1.4 percent week on week.
In Jeddah, transaction values decreased by 5.9 percent to SR1.91 billion, while Dammam reported a 0.8 percent surge to SR713.71 million.
POS data, tracked weekly by SAMA, provides an indicator of consumer spending trends and the ongoing growth of digital payments in Saudi Arabia.
The data also highlights the expanding reach of POS infrastructure, extending beyond major retail hubs to smaller cities and service sectors, supporting broader digital inclusion initiatives.
The growth of digital payment technologies aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives, promoting electronic transactions and contributing to the nation’s broader digital economy.
