Discussions have been on and off, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private. Major shareholders of both companies support a deal, and have been driving the talks, the people said.
Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing companies, Grab Holdings Ltd. and GoTo Group, have restarted talks for a merger, a potential blockbuster combination aimed at staunching years of losses at both companies resulting from tough competition between the two.
The companies, also the food-delivery leaders in the region of more than 650 million people, are in preliminary discussions about a variety of scenarios, people familiar with the matter said. One potential option is for Singapore-based Grab to acquire GoTo using cash, stock, or a combination of the two, one of the people said, adding that the Indonesian company is more open to a deal after Patrick Walujo took over as chief executive officer last year.
