Grab and Neuroncredit, which created Atome Financial and is also the digital financial services platform of Advance Intelligence Group Limited (AIGL), have announced that Grab, Atome Financial, AIGL and certain other parties have entered into definitive agreements for Grab to acquire a controlling 60% equity interest in Atome Financial in cash for US$1.49 billion.
The proposed transaction, if completed, would combine Atome Financial’s business – spanning Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) loans, consumer cash loans, BNPL cards and digital lending – with Grab’s financial services business, accelerating its growth and strengthening the flywheel effect of Grab’s ecosystem that also includes mobility and deliveries. The strategic acquisition allows Grab and Atome Financial to innovate together to offer everyday financing options to more users in the region, expanding financial access to millions who lack a formal credit history and are shut out of the traditional banking sector.
Atome Financial operates in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand and serves 25 million cumulative transacted users. Grab’s suite of financial services includes payments, digital banks, partner lending, insurance and consumer lending. Through Atome Financial, Grab would be able to access a scaled and proven platform for consumer lending. For Atome Financial, access to Grab’s ecosystem gives the company new distribution opportunities across the region.
“Atome Financial’s leading use of AI to underwrite digital lending to millions of users across the region, while managing risk effectively, will help to scale and strengthen Grab’s whole ecosystem. The proposed transaction accelerates the growth and profitability of our financial services segment by deepening our consumer lending capabilities and unlocking opportunities for us to serve Atome’s large merchant network. In 2025, 68% of driver-partner borrowers accessed formal credit for the first time through Grab, with half noting they did so to avoid predatory lenders. By coming together, we can deliver on our common vision of using technology to responsibly extend financial access to the unbanked and underbanked in the region, to drive Southeast Asia forward,” said Alex Hungate, President and Chief Operating Officer, Grab.
Jefferson Chen, Chairman and CEO of AIGL and CEO of Atome Financial said: “We founded Atome Financial eight years ago on a simple conviction: everyone deserves access to responsible credit and financial services, not just those with a conventional banking history. Over eight years, we’ve built a sustainable and reliable financial services platform serving millions of customers across five markets. Powered by AI and data, every transaction makes our underwriting smarter and our products more personalised. 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 – and together, do more to close the financial inclusion gap than either of us could alone.”
