Grab's IPO valuation may hinge on its buy now, pay later ambitions

THE shine of the ride-hailing and delivery business has dulled, which means digital services platform Grab may need to lean on its other operations to attract investors to its public listing this year. The buy now, pay later (BNPL) trend holds potential, but is also strewn with potholes.

Last month, Grab announced several new partnerships to increase the adoption of its BNPL service called PayLater. Grab has said adoption of its PayLater service has been positive, and that merchants using PayLater report increased basket sizes and check-out rates.

Data shows the appetite for BNPL adoption is strong among a wide range of consumers, and BNPL services companies have been able to attract plenty of investment funding.