Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket
Look Out Amazon, Here Comes...Rakuten?
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten announced on Tuesday it is acquiring Ebates for $1 billion.
The acquisition, which Rakuten hinted at last week, is part of the Japanese company’s push to grow its base beyond its domestic market and hopefully, become a global player. Having made some $1.2 billion acquisitions to date along these lines, this is Rakuten’s most ambitious move to date.
However, investors are dubious that the company can absorb yet another foreign acquisition, much less one the size of Ebates, despite Rakuten’s strong cash position.
Then there is the ever-present Amazon, which dominates the e-commerce market in the U.S. Few believe it will falter in the face of Chinese giant Alibaba, much less a Rakuten-Ebates combo.
Rakuten Goes Forth
Not surprisingly, Rakuten says it is undaunted. For starters, it has assembled a very interesting mix of acquisitions. There is messaging app Viber, which it purchased for $900 million in February, the Canadian ebook offering Kobo, Spanish video service Wuaki.tv, Viki, a digital content platform and Buy.com.
Now it has picked up Ebates.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikamorphy/2014/09/...ere-comes-rakuten/
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/...n-activity-7302979980336984064-PVq0
March 14, 2025
By Justine Punzalan
Gone are the days when you have to download several dating apps, create a profile in each one, then keep the conversation going in separate apps. Viber Dating lets you do all these in one app.
https://thepost.ph/money/technology/viber-dating-features/
Multiplied by the operating cash flow per share of 524.83 JPY for the last 4 quarters, the Rakuten stock has a fair value of 6,297.96 JPY. The current stock price of 898.75 JPY is 85.7% below this fair value, representing a severe undervaluation of the stock.
https://dividendstocks.cash/stock-profile/Rakuten-Stock
March 04, 2025
Another relevant commercial announcement that Alonso made during his presentation was inviting Carlos Herrera Yagüe, CTO of Cabify. Both announced that Cabify is going to start using the Number Verification API in its registration processes. In this way, Cabify users will be able to register directly, without needing to receive an SMS or another third-party verification system, something that slowed down the process. With this API, Cabify manages to offer greater speed and security to its users, thanks to the fact that with this integration it is possible to verify whether a user is interacting through a device that has a SIM card associated with a certain telephone number without having to interact with any element or enter any type of credential or one-time password.
https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/...companies-from-around-the-world
Over the past few years, the ride-hailing market has expanded at an impressive pace. Its growth is expected to continue, with the market size projected to increase from $79.13 billion in 2024 to $90.5 billion in 2025, equating to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4%.
https://blog.tbrc.info/2025/03/global-ride-hailing-market/
https://rakuten.today/blog/...lestones-rakutens-week-at-mwc-2025.html
Singapore, March 18, 2025 – Leading digital reading retailer and publisher Rakuten Kobo today launched Kobo Plus in Singapore – the all-you-can-read subscription offering book lovers unlimited access to over 2 million eBooks and over 300,000 audiobooks starting from an affordable monthly fee of just SGD 9.99.
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/...=3&category=ec
Thursday 13 March 2025
The Japan mobile payments market was valued at USD 173 billion in 2024, according to IMARC Group data, and is projected to reach USD 1.463 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 23.4% from 2025 to 2033. Major mobile payment platforms, such as PayPay, LINE Pay, and Rakuten Pay, dominate the market, offering seamless transactions through QR code-based and NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies.
https://thepaypers.com/expert-opinion/...nd-ecommerce-trends--1272710
Tokyo, March 17, 2025 – Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced it will participate in the Global CityTech Bridge project as a social implementation partner. Led by CIC Institute, the project aims to drive innovation and integrate CityTech (big city technology) into society.
Through this project, Rakuten Mobile will collaborate with startups to develop and launch innovative mobile communication-based services aimed at solving urban challenges, with the ultimate goal of expanding these services into global markets.
https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2025/0317_02/
Mar. 12, 2025, 07:07 AM
J.P. Morgan analyst Takahiro Yano maintained a Buy rating on Rakuten Bank, Ltd. (5838 – Research Report) on March 10 and set a price target of Yen7,860.00.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/...ltd-5838-103446885
3 hours ago
https://rakuten.today/blog/...ng-customer-experiences-with-genai.html
Annie Huang, DIGITIMES, Barcelona
Tuesday 4 March 2025
Rakuten Group CEO Mickey (Hiroshi) Mikitani says Rakuten Mobile has carved out a unique ecosystem while advancing O-RAN and AI to drive down telecom costs and boost network flexibility. The company aims to expand its Operational Support System (OSS) customer base to 150 by the end of 2025, reinforcing its global footprint.
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20250304PD226/...o-2025-software.html
March 20, 2025
Rakuten TV, the European streaming platforms, has partnered with Audioteka Group, owner of Polish OTT platform Pilot WP, to launch a co-branded TVoD store, bringing thousands of films directly to Pilot WP users.
https://www.advanced-television.com/2025/03/20/...lot-wps-tvod-store/
Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi is a baseball stadium located in Miyagino Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. Since 2005, it has been used as the home stadium of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Professional Baseball Pacific League, hosting numerous exciting games.
A distinctive feature of Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi is that it combines elements of a ballpark where you can enjoy not just baseball but various forms of entertainment. The stadium includes "Smile Glico Park" with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, as well as booths where you can enjoy barbecue while watching games.
Note that Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi is a completely cashless stadium. You cannot use cash to purchase tickets, merchandise, or food and beverages as a rule.
https://www.ticketsinjapan.com/en/articles/eagles-traffic-030425/
March 20, 2025
https://mobile-magazine.com/technology-and-ai/...-autonomous-networks
March 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/...2ehGvk&list=TLGGFici_FS-JBEyMTAzMjAyNQ
October 2024
All in all, while it is still unprofitable today, we believe Rakuten’s bold and unpopular telecom investment can drive a period of profitable growth for the company. Evidencing that this part of the business can breakeven is important but what is even more important is what it can become over the next five to ten years. Taking this view enables us to see a company at an inflection point and not one compromised by poor decision-making. The investment case is further underpinned by its strong reputation and reinforcing ecosystem despite the market’s fathomable scepticism.
https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/...-and-the-dog-shogun-10051560/
Rakuten NEO Wins “Best Mobile Innovation for Digital Life” at MWC Barcelona 2025’s GLOMO Awards
March 17, 2025
Rakuten Symphony's unmanned facility operations platform Rakuten NEO positions itself as a key solution for accelerating digital transformation.
https://www.publicnow.com/view/...C6D8BF787E41E00236E9F98C3CE697F1CCD
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/...-looks-like-rakuten-symphony-h0omf/
Brands that leveraged Viber for Business solutions have seen impressive results:
KFC Philippines – Reached 5.6M+ people and achieved 2.81% CTR through Viber Ads and 8.5% capture rate with AR-powered branded Viber Lenses and gamification.
Kimberly-Clark – Improved engagement for Huggies campaign with personalized Viber business messages, achieving impressive results shared by the company’s Digital Media and Content Manager Dymphna Liu Chiang:
127% sales increase (vs. email marketing)
6x higher click-through rates (vs. industry benchmarks)
80% higher open rates (vs. SMS and email campaigns)
https://www.adobomagazine.com/brand-business/...-level-up-with-viber/