As you might have heard, Uber will be merging their operations in Southeast Asia with competitor Grab. This looked like a pretty straightforward deal, although a report from Reuters has revealed that the deal could be facing some delays as regulators in the Philippines have decided to launch an investigation into the merger.If this sounds familiar, it is because over in Singapore a similar investigation will be launched. This is because over in Southeast Asia as far as ride-hailing services are concerned, it’s pretty much a toss up between Uber and Grab, so with Uber now essentially out of the picture, Grab will have a monopoly on the ride-hailing market, something that regulators aren’t too thrilled with.
Uber had initially planned to halt its operations in the region on the 8th of April, but it seems that for now things might continue to run as the regulations body has asked the company to keep things running until the investigation is over.
Neither Uber nor Grab have opted to comment on the latest proceedings, although previously Lim Kell Jay, head of Grab Singapore had stated, “Grab has conducted its comprehensive due diligence and legal analysis with its advisers before entering into and concluding the transaction. We had engaged with the CCS prior to signing and continue to do so.”