DIDI MULLS SOFTBANK FUNDING
But ride-sharing giant will need to balance interests of existing investors, including Alibaba and China’s sovereign wealth fund
BEIJING Holdings Ltd and Apple were considering if they should join the investment on a pro-rata basis to avoid a dilution of their stakes, said the people.
It’s unclear if the money will be coming from the Japanese company itself or its yet-to-close US$100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund.
Didi, which amassed US$10 billion of cash and equivalents last year, will need to decide whether it will take the additional funds as it locks horns with Uber Technologies Inc and Alphabet Inc in the development of driverless technology.
The company is coping with stringent regulations limiting the number of private cars and drivers it operates, a regulatory uncertainty that may delay its timeline for an initial public offering, people