Connect with us

Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website. .

Top Stories

Uber rival Bolt seeks to turn profitable next year, IPO in 2025

Published : , on

Uber rival Bolt seeks to turn profitable next year, IPO in 2025

By Supantha Mukherjee

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Estonian ride-hailing and food delivery startup Bolt expects to turn profitable in the next 12 months and be ready for an initial public offering in 2025, its Chief Executive Officer Markus Villig said in an interview.

The company, a rival of Uber, was valued at over $8 billion when it raised 628 million euros from investors in January last year.

“We expect to be the first European mobility platform that will be fully profitable over the next 12 months,” said Villig, who doesn’t have a driving license.

Uber is also expecting to post operating income profitability this year.

Bolt, run by 29-year-old Villig, does not plan to raise external capital through another funding round but will get ready for an IPO instead.

“We are planning to be ready to go public in 2025,” he said, adding that a final decision will depend on market conditions at that time.

The startup, which also offers electric scooter rentals, car-sharing and grocery delivery service, has a focus on Africa from where it gets 50 million of its 150 million customers.

“Out of all the African countries, we’ve so far only launched in seven… over the next 10 years Africa remains a massive opportunity for us,” Villig said.

Bolt is also evaluating whether it could fix the payment landscape in Africa where many people are more likely to have a mobile phone than a bank account.

“Maybe we should go into that one day,” he said.

The company has not publicly disclosed its revenue but Villig said the company is doing single-digit billions of dollars of transactions on the platform every year.

It also expects its grocery business to break even or turn profitable in two or three years.

Grocery delivery is a highly competitive area as companies like Bolt, Just Eat Takeaway.com and Uber Eats are charging more for delivery to cover the costs of higher wages as some countries crack down on the gig industry.

The food delivery sector was among those boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the effect has waned as consumers, faced with surging prices, have cut discretionary spending.

Ride-hailing is Bolt’s largest business. It charges a commission of between 20% to 23% of the fare which can go as low as 10% if drivers choose to opt for promotions such as putting a Bolt sticker on their cars.

“Our philosophy is not always to be the cheapest rider … the mistake that some platforms make is that if you only focus on the lowest prices, you can end up with very bad availability of cars because drivers will not be happy,” Villig said.

 

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; Editing by Christina Fincher)

 

Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.

Global Banking & Finance Review

 

Why waste money on news and opinions when you can access them for free?

Take advantage of our newsletter subscription and stay informed on the go!


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Recent Post