Didi gets another $500 million in financing, and the cooperation with Booking Holdings is more meaningful

On July 17, Didi announced a strategic partnership with Booking Holdings and received a $500 million investment. For Didi’s size, $500 million is not a big number, but the partnership itself is of great strategic significance.

The partnership is expected to seamlessly connect all parts of the travel experience. Through the partnership, Booking Holdings' app will provide users with an interface for Didi's ride-hailing service, while Didi's passengers will be able to book hotel accommodation directly through Booking.com or Agoda platforms.

Didi has 550 million registered users and is currently continuing to deepen its presence in the fields of mobile travel and smart transportation with big data and artificial intelligence technologies in the Chinese, South American, Australian and Japanese markets.

As the world's largest online travel service provider, Booking Holdings provides services to customers and partners in more than 220 countries and regions around the world.

The cooperation between the two giants will bring new development space for both parties.

Some industry insiders pointed out that Didi's move will intensify its competition with Uber in the international market. Others believe that Didi did this to increase its own valuation.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.