Global investors who put their faith in three of Southeast Asia's high-profile tech start-ups are facing a grim reality that has seen the firms lose US$51 billion in value in the past year and a half since their equity debuts.

Singapore-based ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings Ltd, which listed in New York about a year ago, has shed over 70% of its market value. It was Southeast Asia's most valuable start-up at the time it merged with Altimeter Growth Corp, the blank-cheque firm of Brad Gerstner's Altimeter Capital Management. Grab lured more than US$4 billion from investors including BlackRock Inc, Fidelity International, and T Rowe Price Group Inc.

PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Indonesia's largest initial public offering (IPO) this year, has plunged 74% while PT Bukalapak.com, which listed in 2021, has plunged 69% since their first day of trade in Jakarta following widely expected IPOs. Both companies underperformed local benchmarks and about a 30% drop in the Nasdaq 100 since the start of the year.

Grab is now worth US$11.6 billion, Bloomberg data showed. While the stock has trimmed some losses since it announced it narrowed losses in the third quarter as revenue beat expectations, investors remain sceptical of when it may reach profitability.

The Southeast Asian newcomers join a slump engulfing recently listed Indian start-ups as investors question their high valuations. The three firms offered investors an exposure to Southeast Asia's booming e-commerce sector at a time when traders were still eager to snap up growth stocks. But rising interest rates globally and risks of recession are taking a toll on technology shares.

There are also concerns that early investors will be paring their stakes after initial lock-up periods end, something that happened with several companies in India. GoTo has lost nearly 60% in market value over the past month amid the expiry of a lock-up on its major shareholders' stakes and as investors fret about the unprofitable Indonesian internet company's prospects.

GoTo on Thursday said it had enough funds to last the company until it reached profitability.

Online marketplace Sea Ltd, another Singaporean unicorn that listed in the US back in 2017, has also lost about US$169 billion in market value since a peak in October 2021.

  - Bloomberg