Grab acquires 60% of Atome Financial for $1.49B to expand lending across Southeast Asia

Grab Holdings is paying $1.49 billion for a 60% stake in Atome Financial, the Singapore-based buy-now-pay-later platform owned by Advance Intelligence Group. The deal represents the Southeast Asian super-app’s largest financial services acquisition to date and a clear signal that Grab is doubling down on lending even as its own stock takes a beating. The acquisition values Atome Financial at north of $2 billion, a price tag that looks a lot more reasonable when you consider Atome pulled in $470 million in revenue during 2025. That figure represented an 80% year-over-year jump, and the company has now posted pre-tax profitability for two consecutive years. Why Grab wants a lending empire The Atome deal slots neatly into a buying spree that’s been accelerating throughout 2026. Grab previously picked up an initial 50.1% stake in Stash Financial for $425 million and acquired Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for $600 million. Add the Atome price tag, and Grab has committed over $2.5 billion in acquisitions in a relatively compressed window. Grab’s gross loan portfolio reached $1.44 billion as of Q1 2026. Atome’s existing merchant network and credit assessment capabilities could help Grab s...