COMPETITION
Philippines and Malaysia to probe Uber deal with rival Grab
Manila/Kuala Lumpur — The Philippines and Malaysia would look into whether Uber Technologies’s move to sell its Southeast Asian business to ride-hailing rival Grab hindered competition, the countries said on Monday, days after Singapore began a probe into the deal on similar concerns. The expanded scrutiny of the deal could pose a major hurdle to the US firm’s attempt to improve profitability by exiting its loss-making regional operation. It also comes as Grab is set to face tougher competition from Indonesian rival Go-Jek. Singapore proposed interim measures last week to require Uber and Grab to maintain their pretransaction independent pricing until it completes a review of the deal, saying it had "reasonable grounds" to suspect competition had been infringed. "The Grab-Uber acquisition is likely to have a far-reaching impact on the riding public and the transportation services. As such, [we are] looking at the deal closely," the Philippine Competition Commission said. It said the...
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