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In September, India-based budget hotel chain聽 announced that it was raising $1 billion in new funding led by Softbank鈥檚 Vision Fund. Today, reports that Singaporean ride-hailing giant 聽has contributed $100 million to that effort.

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As Alex Wilhelm mentioned in our coverage of the $1 billion round, the infusion from Softbank wasn鈥檛 the first time that the company piqued the investor鈥檚 interest. Softbank first led OYO鈥檚 in July 2015. Grab is itself one of Softbank鈥檚 portfolio companies. The investment group has funneled hundreds of millions into the company, including in the Grab鈥檚 in July 2017 that was co-led by (another Softbank company) and Softbank Vision Fund.

The infusion from Grab brings the total raised capital in the ongoing $1 billion round to $900 million, and its total funding over time to almost $1.5 billion, according to Reuters and the . Take a look:

Why Grab would invest in OYO is an interesting question. The answer to which we can only speculate. When OYO initially announced its intent to raise $1 billion, the company mentioned that it planned to double down on its growth in India and China, while also expanding to other international markets including Southeast Asia.

Grab, if you鈥檒l recall, is in an increasingly capital-heavy battle with Indonesia-based ride-hailing service , which is reportedly raising up to $1.5 billion in a funding round of its own. Notably, Go-Jek made a concerted effort to become Indonesia鈥檚 online to offline superapp, and offers everything from package delivery to massage and hair appointments. It is now expanding into other areas of Southeast Asia.

Grab, on the other hand, had focused primarily on differentiating its ridesharing services, but has started moving into superapp territory. The company has recently introduced a payments platform, grocery delivery, and other services. Also, in July, Grab the launch of GrabPlatform as part of its effort to partner with companies in different sectors. If Grab plans to move into the hotel sector, partnering with a growing, capital-backed company with eyes on its home market could be a smart strategic move.

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