Uber and Careem in Middle East merger talks

19 September 2018
Report says ride-hailing companies are discussing combining their Middle East operations

US-based Uber and Dubai-based Careem are in prelimary merger talks, according to a report by US newswire Bloomberg.

The report says the two ride-hailing companies are considering merging their operations in the Middle East, adding that the companies have discussed a number of deal structures but have not agreed on the details.

Careem had earlier said it was in nascent talks with banks about a possible initial public offering (IPO) in 2019.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) invested $3.5bn in Uber in 2016. Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding and Saudi Telecom Company’s venture capital arm STV are also investors in Careem.

This article has been unlocked to allow non-subscribers to sample MEED’s content. MEED provides exclusive news, data and analysis on the Middle East every day. For access to MEED’s Middle East business intelligence, subscribe here

 

A MEED Subscription...

Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.