Asian Uber-rival Grabs $750m funding taking valuation over $3bn
Grab, the Southeast Asian ride-hail company, has raised $750m in equity financing in a funding round led by Japanese telecoms firm SoftBank, taking Grab's valuation over $3bn and its total capital position over $1bn. The firm plans to invest in mobile payments capabilities and expand its services in Southeast Asia, refocusing 150 engineers to work on operations there while hiring more engineers in India. 

Southeast Asian ride-hailing company, Grab Tuesday said it raised $750 million in equity financing, bringing its total cash pile to over $1 billion.



Japanese telecommunication giant SoftBank led the funding round, with both new and existing investors participating, Grab said in a statement, without disclosing the names of other investors in the round.



Grab said the funds would be used to continue expanding into the highly lucrative Southeast Asian market, particularly in Indonesia. The company said in the first half of 2016, its GrabCar and GrabBike services grew by 250 times on-year in Indonesia.



"We see [Indonesia as] an almost $15 billion market for ride-hailing services alone," said Anthony Tan, group CEO and co-founder of Grab, in a media statement.



Grab also plans to expand its mobile payments service, GrabPay, regionally. Recently, Grab partnered with Citibank to allow cardholders to use Citibank points to pay for their rides.

The service is currently available in Singapore and is expected to be available in four other markets including Indonesia and the Philippines.



Last month, rivals Uber sold its China business to domestic competitor Didi Chuxing, with some suggesting the company was better off focusing on other potential markets such as India.

Didi Chuxing previously invested in Grab last August in a funding round that saw the company raise over $350 million from investors that also included U.S. investment firm Coatue Management and Chinese sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation.

It's also likely that Uber might turn its focus onto Southeast Asia, given the region boasts a growing, internet-savvy middle class.



Grab has an expansive transportation network in Southeast Asia, with over 400,000 drivers and up to 1.5 million daily bookings, according to the company.

It offers various transportation modes including private cars, motorbikes, taxis and carpooling services in 31 cities across the region.

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