logo
Indonesia's antitrust body looking into risks from reported Grab-GoTo merger

Indonesia's antitrust body looking into risks from reported Grab-GoTo merger

CNA21-05-2025

JAKARTA :Indonesia's antitrust agency has started research aimed at identifying risks from a possible merger between tech giants Grab and GoTo, its head said on Wednesday.
Muhammad Fanshurullah Asa in a statement said the agency would be able to conduct a thorough review once the merger takes place and both companies give notification of such action.
The two firms have yet to confirm merger plans officially but the possibility of such a move has been widely reported in recent months.
Sources with knowledge of the matter last week said the two firms were looking to strike a deal within the second quarter.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Seattle players call for 'fair share' of Club World Cup prize money
Seattle players call for 'fair share' of Club World Cup prize money

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Seattle players call for 'fair share' of Club World Cup prize money

Jun 1, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Osaze De Rosario (95) wears a t-shirt to protest FIFA Club World Cup bonus sharing from MLS while participating in pregame warmups against the Minnesota United at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 1, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Pedro De La Vega (10) wears a t-shirt to protest FIFA Club World Cup bonus sharing from MLS while during pregame warmups against the Minnesota United at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 1, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC players wear t-shirts to protest FIFA Club World Cup bonus sharing from MLS while during pregame warmups against the Minnesota United at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 1, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei (24) wears a t-shirt to protest FIFA Club World Cup bonus sharing from MLS while participating in pregame warmups against the Minnesota United at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 1, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Pedro De La Vega (10) wears a t-shirt to protest FIFA Club World Cup bonus sharing from MLS while during pregame warmups against the Minnesota United at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images REUTERS Seattle Sounders players called for a bigger slice of the prize money for competing at the Club World Cup this month by wearing T-shirts emblazoned with "Cash Grab" and "Fair Share Now" ahead of a Major League Soccer match on Sunday. Seattle are set to earn at least $9.55 million for competing at the June 14 to July 13 tournament in the U.S., where the total prize money runs to $1 billion, but under the MLS collective bargaining agreement (CBA) the players' share is capped at $1 million per club. Seattle are one of three MLS teams that will compete in the expanded 32-team Club World Cup. Teams from North America are guaranteed almost $10 million just for participating and can earn more depending on their results. MLS did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment after Seattle players warmed up in T-shirts with the phrases "Club World Cup Ca$h Grab" and "Fair Share Now" written on them ahead of their 2-3 home defeat by Minnesota United. The MLS Players Association said in a statement on Sunday that players had "privately and respectfully invited the league to discuss bonus terms, yet MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal". It added that the league was "clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions. "It is the players who make the game possible. It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage. They expect to be treated fairly and with respect." Seattle are in Group B at the Club World Cup along with Brazil's Botafogo, UEFA Champions League winners Paris St Germain and LaLiga's Atletico Madrid. They face Botafogo in their opening game on June 15. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Indonesia's trade surplus shrinks to lowest in 5 years
Indonesia's trade surplus shrinks to lowest in 5 years

CNA

time3 hours ago

  • CNA

Indonesia's trade surplus shrinks to lowest in 5 years

JAKARTA :Indonesia booked a trade surplus of around $160 million in April, the lowest since April 2020, amid a surge in imports, data from the statistics bureau showed on Monday. The country had recorded a $4.33 billion surplus in March. Imports jumped 21.84 per cent on a yearly basis to $20.59 billion, with capital goods rising the most. The median forecast in a Reuters poll was for a rise of 7.75 per cent. Exports rose 5.76 per cent in April from a year earlier to $20.74 billion, matching the median forecast of analysts polled by Reuters. The bureau is due to release May inflation and other economic indicators later on Monday.

Thailand's stalled cash handout scheme sours voters on ruling party
Thailand's stalled cash handout scheme sours voters on ruling party

CNA

time4 hours ago

  • CNA

Thailand's stalled cash handout scheme sours voters on ruling party

BANGKOK: Rungthiwa Pimphanit waited months for a long-promised cash handout of 10,000 baht (US$307) from Thailand's ruling party, which she backed in the 2023 elections, but now the scheme to stimulate a stalling economy has been put on ice. "I'm very disappointed and angry," said the 34-year-old government employee from the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lam Phu, who had counted on the money to pay for her son's school supplies. "There's no way I will vote for them again." key election plank of the ruling Pheu Thai party, would be delayed, fuelling doubt about any recovery in Southeast Asia's second largest economy after years of tepid growth. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra blamed steep tariffs proposed by the United States, but the delay to her government's flagship programme, on which it has already spent 174 billion baht (US$5.3 billion), poses a major political risk, say analysts. "No one will believe anything they say," said Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the independent Political and Policy Analysis Institute. "The government must keep its promises to the people during the campaign. If they can't do what they said, it's over." The government still has time left in its term, said spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub, reiterating that the scheme had only been postponed. The next polls are two years away. "By that time, if the economy is good, there may even be something more than this programme," he told Reuters. The handout scheme is popular across Thailand, with its continuation backed by about 60 per cent of 1,310 respondents in a May survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, while about 46 per cent said they would be angered if it was scrapped. "I'm upset," said 52-year-old Sathanee Siriphonchaikul in Bangkok, who had planned to use the funds to buy a washing machine. "I don't think they'll do it again. The economy is bad." The Pheu Thai party's failure to fully implement the scheme had damaged its credibility, said political analyst Sukhum Nuansakul. "The digital wallet project hasn't worked," he added. "People hoped they would get it and they waited for it, but didn't get it." The remaining 16 million people registered for handouts should be notified, said Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala, deputy leader of the opposition Palang Pracharath Party. "The government should tell the truth to these people that it actually won't be able to continue the programme due to budget and technical problems," he said in a statement. GROWTH AND DEBT Three months after its launch, the stimulus plan had been unable to boost consumption, mainly because the handouts were sometimes used to pay down debt, central bank Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput told Reuters this year. Thailand's household debt is among Asia's highest, at 88.4 per cent of gross domestic product. On the campaign trail, the party floated the scheme as a multibillion-dollar initiative to kick-start Thailand's pandemic-hit economy and reach annual growth of about 5 per cent. Yet, the US$550-billion economy expanded by just 2.5 per cent last year, lagging regional peers, and this year looks even worse. Since launching the scheme last September, after numerous adjustments and delays, the government has distributed just over a third of the earmarked 450 billion baht (US$14 billion). The first tranche of 144.5 billion baht in September went to welfare cardholders and people with disabilities, with a second phase of 29.9 billion baht delivered to senior citizens in late January. The 157 billion baht meant for the scheme's next stages will now go to fund projects to help the economy cope with the impact of proposed US tariffs, on advice from the central bank and a state planning agency. "Both of them asked us to reconsider, to see if this money can be used for something more urgent and necessary than the digital money handout," Paetongtarn said when announcing the delay. Thailand faces a US tariff of 36 per cent if it cannot negotiate a reduction before expiry of a July deadline, until which a rate of 10 per cent prevails. Last month the state planner shaved its economic growth forecast for this year by one percentage point, to a range of 1.3 per cent to 2.3 per cent, warning that the tariff impact would last for two years. The government's mismanaged policies are reflected in GDP growth of just 2 per cent in 2023 and 2.5 per cent in 2024, said Prakit Siriwattanaket, managing director of Merchant Partners Asset Management.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store