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Southeast Asian super-app Grab announced it will acquire buy-now-pay-later platform Atome Financial in a deal valued at $1.49 billion. The purchase is aimed at expanding Grab's consumer lending and financial services business across the region as it seeks to move beyond ride-hailing and delivery into deeper fintech offerings. The acquisition reflects a broader push by Southeast Asian tech platforms to capture growth in digital lending and installment payments, an area seeing rapid consumer adoption. Analysts see the deal as a step toward Grab positioning itself as a full-service digital bank alternative in emerging Asian markets.