Grab Holdings Shares Slip After Bloomberg Reports $2 Billion-Plus Atome Financial Talks
Bloomberg reported on September 10, 2026, that Grab Holdings is in talks to acquire a majority stake in Atome Financial, a Singapore-based buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) platform, in a deal that could value Atome at more than $2 billion.
The Edge Malaysia confirmed the report, citing people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because discussions remain private. No one would go on record.
Representatives for Grab, Atome Financial, and Atome's parent company, Advance Intelligence Group, all declined to comment.
Grab Holdings (NASDAQ: GRAB) closed September 10 at $3.01, down 0.99%. Trading volume hit 77.9 million shares, roughly 64% above its three-month daily average of 46.7 million shares, according to The Motley Fool.
The stock has fallen about 40% since January 1, 2026, and is down approximately 75% from its 2020 IPO price.
What Atome Financial Brings to the Table
Atome Financial operates a flexible BNPL payment service for consumers shopping at online and offline retailers across categories including fashion, beauty, travel, fitness, and homeware.
Its revenue surged 80% in 2025 to $470 million, and the company posted its second consecutive year of profit before taxes. Advance Intelligence Group, Atome's owner, counts SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Warburg Pincus among its backers.
A deal at the reported valuation of more than $2 billion would be Grab's largest disclosed acquisition target to date.
The company has already made two sizable moves in 2026, two sizable moves purchasing Stash Financial Inc. at an enterprise value of $425 million and buying Foodpanda's Taiwan operations from Delivery Hero SE for $600 million, according to The Edge Malaysia.
Grab's Financial Services Push
Grab has framed its expansion strategy around building an integrated "everything app" combining ride-hailing, food delivery, payments, and lending across Southeast Asia.
The potential Atome acquisition fits that pattern, extending its financial services footprint into consumer credit.
Second-quarter 2026 results came in ahead of analyst estimates. Revenue reached $997 million, a 22% increase year-on-year, according to The Motley Fool.
Grab also raised its full-year earnings and sales guidance last month, citing resilient commuter demand even as fuel costs have risen amid Middle East tensions.
Broader Market Context on September 10
While Grab slipped, peers in adjacent segments moved higher. Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) gained 2.08%, closing at $72.56, and DoorDash (NASDAQ: DASH) rose 1.92% to $201.03.
The broader market declined, with the S&P 500 closing at 7,592, down 0.58%, and the Nasdaq Composite finishing at 26,082, down 0.65%.
Grab carries a market capitalization of approximately $12 billion. No timeline for the Atome negotiations has been disclosed, and The Edge Malaysia noted that no final decisions have been reached.