Tech titans Grab, Traveloka, PropertyGuru eye US listings via SPAC merger – but what of Asia’s bourses?
Run for the money. Southeast Asia’s tech titans and start-up unicorns are increasingly eyeing listings on US stock markets via ‘special-purpose acquisition company’ mergers. Image: SCMP
When the Singapore-headquartered super app Grab announced on Tuesday that it was going public in the United States via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), it caused a flurry of excitement. And it's not the only Southeast Asian tech company eyeing a listing via such a move.
Indonesian unicorn Traveloka, an online travel booking platform, is also reportedly in advanced discussions to go public in the US through a SPAC merger, as is Singapore online real estate firm PropertyGuru. "Unicorns" are defined as tech companies valued at US$1 billion or more.