{
  "id": 7575454,
  "title": "Grab set to acquire Atome stake for US$1.49bil to expand lending",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/grab-set-to-acquire-atome-stake-for-us-1-49bil-to-expand-lending",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-15T14:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/09/15/grab-set-for-majority-stake-in-atome-to-expand-lending-in-southeast-asia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Grab, the Southeast Asia's largest ride-hailing platform, announced on Tuesday its plan to acquire a controlling stake in Atome Financial, a digital finance firm, for US$1.49 billion. This move aims to expand access to loans for users across the region. Grab, which also operates food, grocery, and parcel delivery services, will gain a 60% equity interest in Atome Financial following the deal.\n\nThe acquisition will combine Atome Financial's diverse portfolio of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) loans, consumer cash loans, BNPL cards, and digital lending services with Grab's existing financial services business. By merging their capabilities, both companies aim to jointly develop products offering everyday financing to more people in the region. This joint effort seeks to extend access to millions of unbanked and underbanked individuals who lack a formal credit history and are typically excluded from traditional banking.\n\nThrough this strategic partnership, Grab will benefit from Atome's established consumer lending platform, while Atome will leverage Grab's extensive regional ecosystem to open new distribution channels. As stated by Grab's president and COO, Alex Hungate, \"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.\" Atome Financial's CEO, Jefferson Chen, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the collaboration will help deliver on their shared vision of responsibly extending financial access to the unbanked and underbanked in the region.\n\nWhile bank account ownership has risen significantly in developing economies in recent years, according to World Bank figures, approximately 1.3 billion adults globally remain unbanked. Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, continues to account for a substantial portion of this unbanked population, particularly among rural, lower-income, and informal workers, as reported in the World Bank's Global Findex Database.",
  "summary": "The deal will give Grab a 60% stake in the digital finance firm and expand access to loans across Southeast Asia.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Grab takes majority stake in Atome Financial in US$1.49 billion deal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/grab-takes-majority-stake-in-atome-financial-in-us-1-49-billion-deal",
        "published": "2026-09-15T11:04:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Nikkei Asia",
        "title": "Grab to buy Singapore-based Atome Financial for $1.49bn to boost consumer lending",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/grab-to-buy-singapore-based-atome-financial-for-1-49bn-to-boost",
        "published": "2026-09-15T11:32:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "e27",
        "title": "Grab’s US$1.49B Atome deal signals a deeper race for SEA’s credit economy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/grabs-us-1-49b-atome-deal-signals-a-deeper-race-for-seas-credit",
        "published": "2026-09-15T12:11:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Grab set to acquire Atome stake for US$1.49bil to expand lending",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/grab-set-to-acquire-atome-stake-for-us-1-49bil-to-expand-lending-7577305",
        "published": "2026-09-15T14:25:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}