Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

- und daher habe ich mir nach dem Einstieg bei Alibaba, die inzwischem mehr als 20% gut gemacht haben, auch einige Rakutens gekauft.

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://network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/campaign/...67be35466c7cc4896600

 

ShopBack, a Singapore-based shopping, rewards, and payments platform, announced Tuesday that it has been granted a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for digital payments.

The firm said in a statement that this approval further accelerates its evolution into a fully integrated shopping and payments ecosystem.

With this license, ShopBack is authorized to provide specific regulated payment services in Singapore.
This means the firm can directly enable merchants to accept payments, and let customers pay using ShopBack Pay in Singapore.

With ShopBack Pay now operating under formal regulatory oversight, the company is well-positioned to scale its payment offering and strengthen merchant partnerships.

The ShopBack Group is a shopping, rewards, and payments platform, serving over 50 million shoppers across 13 markets.

In 2025, the group continues its global growth with its expansion into North America.

Founded in 2014, the firm now powers over $4 billion in annual sales for over 20,000 online and in-store partners.

It is facilitating upwards of half a million transactions daily.

https://technode.global/2025/07/10/...-from-mas-for-digital-payments/
 

Rakuten Group Co., Ltd. 25th Series of Unsecured Straight Bonds (New Bonds)

Interest: Between 2,000% and 2,600%

 

https://rakutenadvertising.com/en-au/resources/...y-sixt-car-rentals/  

https://rakutenadvertising.com/en-au/resources/...y-sixt-car-rentals/

 

Rakuten Selected for Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and NEDO’s GENIAC Project to Bolster GenAI Development

Next-gen Japanese Large Language Model R&D to begin in August, with aim to realize highly personalized AI agents

Tokyo, July 15, 2025 - Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced it has been selected for the third term of the Generative AI Accelerator Challenge (GENIAC) project promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) with the aim of strengthening Japan's generative AI development.

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/0715_02.html

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ASTS/
 

Touring Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi's Innovative Fan Experiences

July 02, 2025

Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi is constantly evolving into a space where a wide range of customers can enjoy themselves, not just baseball fans. In this RNN video, two second-year Rakutenians from Rakuten Baseball report from the stadium grounds the highlights of the 2025 season renovations. The newly introduced karaoke gondola and sauna-style gondola are must-see additions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOEM2mV63Ek&t=7s
 

Rakuten International’s global expansion with CEO Amit Patel

July 11, 2025

On the sidelines of Rakuten Optimism U.S. 2025, Rakuten International CEO Amit Patel reveals the global businesses driving company growth, how Rakuten leverages AI to boost efficiency and innovation, and the importance of building resilience in the workplace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XziBZo1hpc4
 

https://www.instagram.com/reels/audio/751674567396027/  

Rakuten International's strategic vision with COO Adrienne Down Coulson

July 11, 2025

On the sidelines of Rakuten Optimism U.S. 2025, Rakuten International COO Adrienne Down Coulson shares strategies for empowering a diverse, global workforce and navigating change, highlighting exciting recent initiatives in the region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4zsO77_m6U
 

Inside Rakuten AI Episode 5: Yusuke Kobayashi on AI empowering Rakuten Ichiba merchants

April 24, 2025

In this episode, we sit down with Yusuke Kobayashi, Group Managing Executive Officer and Vice Director of Rakuten's Commerce & Marketing Company, who reveals how Rakuten is democratizing AI for over 50,000 merchants. Discover how we're evolving from "analysis to action" with AI tools that don't just provide data but recommend specific business actions across marketing, product handling, and logistics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POvXtdMKj68

 

By Keith Dyer
12 June 2025

AT&T expansion is just the beginning of Rakuten Symphony's ambitions in AI operations, as it eyes a future iPhone moment for the AI user interface.

After MWC 2024, TMN wrote about how AT&T was adopting new site management software from Rakuten Symphony to digitise and automate the process of deploying, upgrading and managing sites across its network.

At the time, we quoted Igal Elbaz, SVP, Network CTO, AT&T saying that there were around 7,000 users of Rakuten Symphony’s Site Management software amongst those responsible for deploying and managing its sites, with the software replacing a large number of legacy systems. Elbaz also said there was potential for AT&T to expand its use of Rakuten Symphony’s automated solutions.

He said, “There has been a lot of benefit already in the migration from the old systems to the new system… We’re very excited about this and are thinking about where else we can extend that capability in other parts where we are doing engineering and build,”

Today Rakuten Symphony and AT&T have announced an expansion of their work together, with the operator giving an wider role to Rakuten Symphony’s Site Manager within its processes for managing its Open RAN site re-build, as well as fibre site rollout. A release from the two companies said AT&T has extended a multiyear collaboration agreement to expand adoption of Rakuten Symphony Site Management to accelerate AT&T’s Network Simplification Transformation project and 5G Open RAN deployments.

The company said there are now 10,000 users of the software, which is being used to manage and co-ordinate AT&T’s site swaps and consolidations as it moves to its Ericsson RAN layer, which includes Ericsson’s support for Open RAN interfaces, and a medium term plan to shift to a cloud-native foundation. AT&T has said it wants 70% of its wireless network traffic to “move across open and interoperable platforms” by late 2026, and has started ramping up its Open RAN deployments in 2025. The operator is also using the software to orchestrate and support the deployment of its fibre expansion plans.

https://the-mobile-network.com/2025/06/...i-ops-to-its-iphone-moment/

 

Inside Rakuten AI Episode 4: Guangda Li on reinventing customer experiences with GenAI

April 01, 2025

In this fascinating episode, we sit down with Guangda Li, Rakuten Asia AI & Data Division General Manager, AI Lab. Guangda shares insights on how the Rakuten AI Assistant is transforming customer experiences through personalized, multi-modal, and universal solutions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s__kQwtfvk
 

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) Secures Additional $100M Liquidity From Non-Dilutive Equipment Financing

July 15, 2025

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) is among the 13 Best Booming Stocks to Buy Now. On July 3, the company announced it had secured an additional $100 million equipment financing facility led by Triniti, intended to aid ASTS’s network deployment and manufacturing goals in 2025 and 2026.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...ile-inc-asts-secures-210705130.html
 

Rakuten Securities launches Kabu Pitaservice from July 16 (Wednesday) - The first in the industry! Domestic stocks can be traded from 100 yen to a specified amount. Finally start with a transaction fee of 0 yen

https://www.rakuten-sec.co.jp/web/company/newsrelease/fy2025.html
 

YugabyteDB’s Strategic Partnership with Rakuten Mobile Revolutionizes Petabyte-Scale, Cloud-Native, Telecom Infrastructure

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 15, 2025--Yugabyte, the distributed database experts, today announced key business outcomes with Rakuten Mobile, Japan's newest and most modern mobile network, as a result of their long-standing partnership. Over four years of successful collaboration have resulted in high availability for mission-critical systems, with effortless scalability supporting reduced operational overhead and increased business growth. The two companies partnered to architect and deliver the foundation for Autonomous Network Operations and together are transforming how telecom infrastructure is built and operated.

YugabyteDB plays a key role in enabling Rakuten Mobile to efficiently deliver several key modernization initiatives, including Kubernetes cloud-native architecture for OSS and BSS infrastructure, AI-driven operations for autonomous networks with automated fault prediction and corrective actions, and enabling its "Telco-as-a-Service" platform. Joint efforts have enabled Rakuten Mobile to deliver these initiatives at a massive scale without disruption, all while maintaining service continuity.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...rship-rakuten-mobile-130000620.html
 

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) stock rocketed higher in the first half of this year's trading thanks to some strong business results and signs that the space industry will continue heating up. The company's share price surged 121.5% across the stretch, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index's level rose 5.5% over the period.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...bile-skyrocketed-121-110500047.html
 

Open RAN Market Poised to Reach USD 41.5 Billion by 2032 Driven by Demand for Network Flexibility and Cost Efficiency

Rising demand for flexible, cost-efficient networks drives Open RAN growth as operators seek vendor diversity and lower costs.

Pune, April 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Open RAN Market Size Analysis:

“The SNS Insider report indicates that the Open RAN Market was valued at USD 5.1 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 41.5 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 26.24% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2032.”

Major Players Analysis Listed in this Report are:

         •§Rakuten Symphony – Symware
         •§Parallel Wireless – OpenRAN Controller
         •§Mavenir – Open vRAN
         •§Nokia – AirScale Open RAN
         •§Ericsson – Cloud RAN
         •§Samsung – vRAN 3.0
         •§NEC Corporation – Open RAN Radio Units
         •§Fujitsu – Open RAN 5G Radio Unit
         •§Intel Corporation – FlexRAN
         •§Qualcomm – 5G Open RAN Platform
         •§VMware – RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller)
         •§Dell Technologies – Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab
         •§Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) – Open RAN Solution Stack

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/...y-SNS-Insider.html
 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rakuten-link/id1498877539
 

In July 2025, Rakuten Symphony announced partnerships to expand its Rakuten Cloud solutions in the Middle East, Africa, and South & Central America. They also highlighted their AI-native TechCo strategy at DTW Ignite 2025, showcasing advancements in Agentic AI, Autonomous Networks, and Digital Twins. Additionally, Rakuten Symphony launched a "Real Open RAN Licensing Program" to accelerate global Open RAN adoption.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Partnerships & Expansion:
         •§Middle East & Africa:
Rakuten Symphony partnered with IDEAL Software Design to distribute Rakuten Cloud solutions, focusing on the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
         •§South & Central America:
Rakuten Symphony partnered with Simply Tech to distribute Rakuten Cloud solutions, targeting Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.
         •§Open RAN:
Rakuten Symphony launched a "Real Open RAN Licensing Program" to promote global adoption of Open RAN technology.
DTW Ignite 2025:
         •§Rakuten Symphony highlighted its AI-native TechCo strategy, emphasizing Agentic AI, Autonomous Networks, and Digital Twins.
         •§They showcased advancements in AI-powered site management and the Rakuten RIC platform, leading to improved deployment, reduced energy consumption, and faster operations.
         •§The event featured live demos and discussions with global leaders on Intelligent Growth.
Other Notable Points:
         •§AT&T Partnership:
Rakuten Symphony expanded its partnership with AT&T, focusing on Open RAN.
         •§Zain Kuwait Collaboration:
Rakuten Symphony is collaborating with Zain Kuwait on a pilot project for a cloud-native Open RAN in Kuwait.
         •§MWC 2025:
Rakuten Symphony emphasized its work in telecom and other industries, focusing on cloud, automation, and open interfaces.

https://www.bing.com/...;FORM=ANAB01&adppc=EDGEDSP&PC=EDGEDSP
 

The new common sense of stock investment starting from 100 yen

2025-07-16

Rakuten Securities launched a new service called "Kabupitta" on July 16, 2025. It targets domestic stocks and allows users to trade in increments of 1 yen starting from 100 yen, with no transaction fees. The service will first be introduced for donation transactions in NISA accounts, with plans to gradually expand the range of services it covers.

Kabupitta is the industry's first initiative that brings a new value-based approach to domestic stock trading, which previously was limited to unit share numbers.

With this service, users can freely set the amount they invest, starting from 100 yen.

This makes it possible to use up the NISA's annual investment limit of 2.4 million yen without waste. Even if you hold less than one share, you will be entitled to receive dividends.

If you hold integer shares, you will be given shareholder benefits and voting rights. At the time of the service's launch, there were 829 stocks available, with more planned for the future.

In addition, it also supports purchases using Rakuten Points, and stocks can be purchased using only the points held, increasing flexibility in asset creation.

https://en-54177.site-translation.com/posts/136420

 

Affiliate marketing statistics from Emarketer found that total spending in the US affiliate marketing industry is projected to reach nearly $12 billion in 2025, marking an 11.9% rise from the previous year.  

The global affiliate marketing industry is projected to reach $37.3 billion in 2025, up from $27.8 billion in 2023. It's expected to grow even further, potentially hitting $48 billion by 2027.  

„As of July 2025, Rakuten Viber's annual revenue reached $75M.”

https://leadiq.com/c/rakuten-viber/...revenue%2520reached%2520%2475M.

Rakuten had paid $900 million in 2014 for Viber.