- Business
- Rakuten Group, Inc. (TSE: 4755) operates as a global technology conglomerate providing e-commerce, fintech, digital content, communications, and related services to users worldwide. The company offers an extensive portfolio of services across three primary segments: Internet Services, including Rakuten Ichiba as an online shopping mall, online cash-back sites, travel booking platforms, portal sites, digital content sites, and messaging services; FinTech, encompassing credit card services, internet-based banking and securities, crypto asset transactions, life and general insurance, electronic money, and digital wallet solutions; and Mobile, featuring telecommunications networks, mobile device sales such as Rakuten Hand 5G and Rakuten Big 5G, and electricity supply services. It also manages professional sports teams and provides advertising solutions. Founded in 1997 and headquartered at Rakuten Crimson House in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, Rakuten Group conducts operations in over 30 countries and regions, serving approximately 2 billion members globally through its ecosystem centered on Rakuten membership programs. In recent developments, the company announced in May 2025 plans for simplified mergers absorbing subsidiaries including Rakuten Mart, Rakuten Ticket, Rakuten Car, and Monzen Corporation Japan effective January 2026 to enhance operational efficiency and cost reduction through AI integration; in October 2025, it adjusted these plans by excluding Rakuten STAY from the merger scope but proceeding with a company split to transfer its Oyado business and certain shares to the parent company effective January 2026; additionally, in April 2025, Rakuten Advertising divested its Performance Solutions group, including paid search and programmatic teams, to Brunner, establishing a strategic partnership for ongoing digital media services.