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In focus
- Danantara might be granted special rights over possible Grab-GoTo merger
- Australia-based Heidi brings its healthcare AI transcription software to Singapore
- AI isn’t a bubble and needs more computing power, says Nvidia’s Jensen Huang
Hello reader,
I don’t use ride-hailing platforms that much, but I turn to food delivery services quite often.
For me, the choice always comes down to Gojek or Grab. So I fire up both apps, order the same items, and compare the prices between the two platforms – brand loyalty be damned.
I’ve done this since the start of the pandemic, and I don’t plan to change anytime soon. Still, I may have to, as the mega-merger between Grab and GoTo (Gojek’s parent company) is inching closer to reality.
Our first Top Story today details how the deal might work out, which essentially involves roping in Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara and granting it a golden share in the potential US$29 billion merger. The idea is for Danantara to ease the monopoly concerns that have been the biggest obstacle to this so-called “marriage.”
Looking outside Indonesia, we check out how Southeast Asia’s consumer demand is drawing in players like Heidi, an emerging Australian healthcare AI startup. Its tool transcribes doctor-patient conversations into clinical notes, reducing physicians’ paperwork.
As my colleague Samreen Ahmad reported, the company has recently expanded to Singapore and plans to invest up to US$8 million in the region over the next two to three years. It shows how Southeast Asia is becoming a testing ground for fast-growing AI companies.
Glenn Kaonang, journalist
Top Stories
1️⃣ Golden share gives Jakarta sway in emerging Grab-GoTo merger
Image credit: Timmy Loen
If the deal goes through, the combined entity would control 91% of Indonesia’s ride-hailing market, according to Euromonitor. That prospect has raised concerns of a monopoly, which is why Danantara’s involvement is seen as a “strategic win-win balance,” a professor at the National University of Singapore Business School says. Granting the sovereign fund special veto rights would help safeguard domestic interests, another source notes.
2️⃣ AI-powered Heidi lands in SG, aims to cut doctors’ paperwork load
TL;DL
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