Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission on Wednesday extended its review of Grab's proposed acquisition of Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda business in Taiwan by 60 days to Oct. 27, according to an official notification.
The regulator said market structure remains a "dual-ownership" situation after the merger of Grab and FPx, with Uber holding 13% of Grab's shares and 3.7% of its voting rights.
Therefore, given the "shareholding linkage" between the two companies, it was necessary to further analyze the impact of the merger on market competition in Taiwan, as it may affect the incentive and ability of UberEats and Grab to compete, it said.
It may result in a "unilateral or synergistic effect similar to a horizontal merger," the commission added.