Grab Holdings Limited has agreed to acquire a controlling 60% equity interest in Atome Financial for $1.49 billion in cash (15/09).

The transaction combines Atome Financial’s digital lending infrastructure with Grab’s regional ecosystem across mobility, deliveries, and financial services.

Acquisition Expands Regional Footprint Across Five Southeast Asian Markets

The proposed transaction extends Grab's digital financial services across Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Atome Financial operates across these five markets and serves 25 million cumulative transacted users.

The combination gives Grab access to a network of over 30,000 brands while offering Atome Financial new distribution opportunities.

AI Infrastructure to Accelerate Credit Risk Underwriting and Financial Access

More than 70 percent of adults in Southeast Asia are unbanked or underbanked.

The integration combines Atome Financial’s AI-powered lending platform with Grab’s ecosystem insights to improve credit risk management.

Alex Hungate, President and Chief Operating Officer of Grab, said, “Atome Financial’s leading use of AI to underwrite digital lending to millions of users across the region, while managing risk effectively, will help to scale and strengthen Grab’s whole ecosystem.”

Jefferson Chen, Chairman and CEO of Advance Intelligence Group Limited and CEO of Atome Financial, stated, “With Grab’s ecosystem, and our proven AI-powered lending infrastructure, we can extend that to millions more across Southeast Asia who’ve been left out — and together, do more to close the financial inclusion gap than either of us could alone.”

Revised Outlook Sets $500 Million Segment EBITDA Target by 2028

Peter Oey, Chief Financial Officer of Grab, said, “Atome Financial gives us a proven consumer lending operator and an established merchant base, letting us scale our Financial Services segment significantly faster and more cost-efficiently than building it ourselves.”

Grab expects its Financial Services segment to reach $500 million in Adjusted EBITDA and a combined gross loan portfolio of over $6 billion by 2028.

The company upgraded its 2028 Group targets to $1.7 billion in Adjusted EBITDA and over 30 percent Group revenue compound annual growth rate from 2025 to 2028.

Two-Phase Transaction Framework Details Future 100% Equity Purchase

The transaction is funded entirely from existing cash, with $260 million allocated as primary growth capital in Phase 1.

Phase 1 completion is targeted by the third quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Grab agreed to acquire the remaining 40 percent equity interest approximately two years after Phase 1 completion, subject to performance metrics and a valuation framework between $2.0 billion and $4.5 billion.

PHOTO: GRAB

This article was created with AI assistance.

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