Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Aufgrund strategischer Investitionen in zukünftiges Wachstum, einschließlich des vorzeitigen Ausbaus des Rakuten Mobile Servicebereichs im Segment Mobile, verzeichnete die Rakuten Gruppe einen Non-GAAP-Betriebsverlust von 225,0 Milliarden Yen (etwa 1,7 Mrd. Euro). Ohne Berücksichtigung einmaliger operativer Posten wie Investitionen in den Bereichen Mobile und Logistik sowie Gewinnschwankungen im Investmentgeschäft, die auf starke Marktschwankungen zurückzuführen sind, belief sich das Non-GAAP-Betriebsergebnis auf 184,6 Mrd. Yen, was einem Anstieg von +23,8 % gegenüber dem Vorjahr entspricht. Mit der Ausweitung des Rakuten Mobile Servicebereichs wird erwartet, dass sich die Rentabilität des Segments Mobile ab dem zweiten Quartal des GJ2022 verbessern wird.

https://www.onlinemarktplatz.de/208621/...group-fy2021-und-q4-fy2021/  

18. März 2022

Thorsten Neuhetzki

Das neue Netz wird vollständig von Rakuten aufgebaut und geplant. Es soll bis Ende 2030 in 390 Städten direkt verfügbar sein, der Rest Deutschlands wird durch O2 im National Roaming abgedeckt. 1&1 plant mit 12.000 Antennenstandorten, an denen dann in der Regel mehrere Antennen hängen. So kommt man zu diesem Zeitpunkt voraussichtlich auf etwa 36.000 Antennenelemente und kann 50 Prozent der Haushalte versorgen. Zum Vergleich: Die Telekom als vielmaliger Testsieger verfügt über 32.000 Standorte in ganz Deutschland.

An den Standorten werde man ausschließlich Antennen verbauen, die 5G mit Gigabit-Datenraten liefern können. Außerdem wird jeder Sendemast auch LTE ausstrahlen. Alle Sendemasten werden direkt an das Glasfasernetz angebunden. Die ersten Sendemasten sollten noch 2021 entstehen.

Der 1&1-Partner Rakuten hat im April 2020 als Neueinsteiger in Japan das weltweit erste kommerzielle vollständig virtualisierte OpenRAN-Mobilfunknetz gestartet. Von dieser Erfahrung und Expertise wird 1&1 nun profitieren. Rakuten ist auch für die Gesamt-Performance des 1&1 Mobilfunknetzes verantwortlich. 1&1 wird Zugriff auf die Steuerungsplattform haben. Nach Medienberichten überweist 1&1 den Japanern in den nächsten zehn Jahren für die Arbeit als Generalunternehmer zwischen 1,9 und 2,3 Milliarden Euro.

https://www.inside-digital.de/ratgeber/...unk-zeitplan-bestandskunden  

ShopBack’s secrets to start-up success: A Q&A

Ayaan Mohamud, Marketing Director, APAC - January 19, 2023

https://impact.com/partnerships/shopbacks-secrets-to-start-up-success/



 

CapitaLand partners with ShopBack and launches subscription service for retailers

By Shawn Lim - March 31, 2022

Singapore-based CapitaLand has formed a partnership with cashback app ShopBack that will see CapitaLand bring retail tenants at its malls on to the e-commerce rewards platform, helping them drive up in-store spending.

Tenants will also be able to access ShopBack’s customer database and be part of both parties’ omnichannel marketing campaigns.

ShopBack users will be able to earn instant CapitaStar rewards when they shop at CapitaLand properties, on top of existing ShopBack cashback rewards.

As well as the partnership with ShopBack, CapitaLand has also launched CapitaStar For Business, a paid subscription service to address the needs of retailers seeking digital tools to reach consumers.

Retailers that sign up for the service will be able to run marketing campaigns and promotions through CapitaLand’s rewards app, CapitaStar.

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/03/31/...cription-service-retailers  

Rakuten Advertising x Backcountry – Skai ShopAble Award Winners

By Rakuten Advertising | April 1, 2022 | NEWS

Rakuten Advertising’s search team has done it again! The hardworking search team continues to receive industry recognition for the innovative solutions and strategies that it creates for our clients.
Skai has just announced that Rakuten Advertising and Backcountry have won the ShopAble Media Award in Data Intelligence. This award recognizes true innovation in leveraging data to meet set business objectives through Skai’s Signal Enhancement Tool. This strategy increased profitability and drove strong sales volume to enhance an already successful campaign.

The Skai ShopAble Media Awards honor consumer goods and retail brands and agencies for their use of Skai solutions in executing high-performing campaigns and delivering exceptional business results. This year attracted more entries than ever before, making this win truly exceptional.

Rakuten Advertising and Backcountry teams are thrilled for this win as they have been diligently working to build upon the already existing campaigns. Briana Rittersporn, the Senior Account Manager who is responsible for this exciting win, had this to say about her success with Backcountry: “We’re honored and excited to have won this award. We’ve been partners with Backcountry since 2017 and this award recognizes the best of what a strong partnership like ours can do. Backcountry’s trust in using first-party data in their paid search programs is a best-in-class practice for performance marketing, and the results (and this award) speak to that.”

Major congratulations to the Rakuten Advertising search team on this big win!

https://blog.rakutenadvertising.com/news/...sing-wins-shopable-award/
 

Colombian Fintech Leal Closes $10M Series A, Rakuten Group, IDC Ventures Lead

Colombian-based consumer and fintech company Leal has raised a $10 million Series A round co-led by Rakuten Group (through its investment arm Rakuten Capital) and IDC Ventures. This will enable the company to launch its co-branded credit card and scale its operation in Mexico.

Latin American consumers lack access to financial services. The pandemic significantly worsened this situation by increasing social inequities, unemployment and poverty in the region. Cashback and rewards products help users earn money back on everyday purchases.

Throughout 2022, the company said it plans to expand the platform to a new financial services ecosystem. The company will grow its rewards program, digital wallet, payment ecosystem, user base, merchant network and Leal Coins throughout Mexico, Colombia and Central America.

“We’re processing over 40 million purchases every year from millions of Latin Americans using Leal to be smarter shoppers, save money and feel truly rewarded,” co-founder and COO Florence Frech said. “Over 80% of these purchases are done in cash. We now want to improve our users’ well-being by giving them access to digital payments and financial services.”

“We have a unique opportunity to accelerate financial inclusion and serve the latent demand for consumer-facing fintech in LATAM with a different approach to digitalizing the underbanked,” co-founder and CEO Camilo Martinez added.

“Rakuten’s success stems from our commitment to providing a rewarding experience for shoppers, which is why we are pleased to invest in a company like Leal that delivers similar benefits to Latin American consumers,” said Amit Patel, CEO of Rakuten Americas and Rakuten Rewards. “Shopper rewards are a proven strategy in the US and Canada for driving incremental sales and new customers for merchant partners while delivering joy to members who shop through our properties. Leal is well-positioned to foster similar win-win relationships for Latin American shoppers and merchants, and we look forward to what we will learn from each other.”

https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2022/03/...-group-idc-ventures-lead/  

Stephen Curry's UNDERRATED Tour Powered by Rakuten Holds Championship Tournament in Oakland, April 1-3

OAKLAND, Calif., April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen Curry's season three of the UNDERRATED Tour Powered by Rakuten makes its final stop on April 1-3 at Oakland's Soldiertown indoor basketball court. The three-day, invite-only event is the culmination of a nationwide search for overlooked and underrepresented high school student basketball talent, bringing together tour finalists to compete in tournament style games where one boy and one girl will be crowned the country's most UNDERRATED athlete representing their region. During the UNDERRATED Tour Championship Stop, student athletes also compete in tournament style games and receive specialized training, tailored experiences and best-in-class resources like drills, off-court education, personal skills development, expert panels and more.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...-april-1-3-301515628.html  

CAGR of 20.05% from 2022-2027 excellent for Rakuten Fintech

Japan Prepaid Card Market (2022-2027) by Services, Card Type, End-User, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis

March 2022

Japan's Prepaid Card Market is estimated to be USD 99.47 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 248.03 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 20.05%.

https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/...&utm_exec=chdo54prd  

IBM: Der Wechsel zu Open RAN ist „nur eine Frage der Zeit“

März 8, 2022 Omkar Kale

Der Übergang vom traditionellen Radio Access Network (RAN)-Modell zu Open RAN (ORAN) sei „nur eine Frage der Zeit“, trotz des Widerstands von Geräteanbietern, sagte IBMs VP of Telco.

Bei der MWC 2022 zeigte sich Marisa Viveros optimistisch in Bezug auf die Aussichten einer Verschiebung hin zu einer offeneren Netzwerkarchitektur, auch wenn der Prozess einige Zeit in Anspruch nehmen werde.

Geräteanbieter wie Nokia und Ericsson würden es natürlich vorziehen, wenn sich die Betreiber ausschließlich auf ihre Geräte verlassen müssten, wodurch eine Situation geschaffen würde, in der die Kosten für einen Anbieterwechsel unerschwinglich hoch werden.

„Die traditionellen Netzwerkausrüster werden eher empfehlen, am geschlossenen System festzuhalten, weil sie sagen, dass es einfacher zu warten ist und es ein Unternehmen gibt, das im Falle eines Problems eindeutig haftet“, erklärte Viveros.

„Aber in unserer Branche geht die Tendenz zur Disaggregation. Die Nachfrage der Betreiber bedeutet, dass es nur eine Frage der Zeit ist, bis Open RAN erfolgreich ist.“

https://gamingsym.in/gr/...l-zu-open-ran-ist-nur-eine-frage-der-zeit/  

Which Stores Does Rakuten Rewards Work With?

Rakuten works with different stores in each of the regions it operates in, there are too many to list them all.

The company has more than 2000 partnered retailers in North America alone, some of the notable North American retailers include Apple Refurbished, Autodesk, ASOS, Avis, Best Buy, Best Western, Barnes and Noble, Canadian Tire, Crate and Barrel, Davids Tea, Dell, eBay, Etsy, FedEx, Footlocker, Gap, Garmin, GoDaddy, Groupon, HelloFresh, Home Depot, HP, Hudson’s Bay, JCPenney, JCrew, JYSK, Kohl’s, Lego, LOFT, Lowe’s, Lenovo, Macy’s, McAfee, Microsoft, Nike, Nordstrom, Office Depot, Old Navy, Pandora, PetCo, QVC, Rakuten Global, Ralph Lauren, Rent The Runway, Saks, Samsung, Shutterfly, TJ Maxx, Target, TurboTax, Ulta, Urban Outfitters, and Walmart.

As you can see, you can earn cash back through Rakuten in almost every category, and you’re probably already shopping with more than a few of its partners, meaning you could already be making money on your purchases.

https://themodestwallet.com/rakuten-review/  

Rakuten - wie auch in Großbritannien und Spanien - im Reward-Bereich tätig:

https://rakuten.de/ereignis/how-it-works

Und auch in Deutschland hat man renommierte Partner, von denen es Rewards gibt, allerdings mit einem Nachteil gegenüber der US-Variante: Bei uns gibt es keine Cash, sondern die erworbenen Punkte sind nur in Gutscheine umwandelbar, aber leider nicht bei allen Partner, bei denen man Punkte beim Einkauf sammeln kann, sondern nur von einigen wenigen.  

Kobo will continue to sell audiobooks and ebooks on Android

April 2, 2022 By Michael Kozlowski

There are many audiobook and ebook companies that are disabling in-app purchases on Android. This is primarily due to a new Google Policy that just went into effect for anyone who is making over one million dollars per year. They have upped the commission rate to 30% for every single audiobook or ebook sold through the app and everyone now has use the new Google Play Billing API. Audible, Barnes and Noble will no longer support purchases over the next few days and are simply telling their customers to go and buy stuff on their website. What is happening with Kobo? They are the global number two player in selling e-readers, books and audiobooks?

Kobo told Good e-Reader in an exclusive statement “In the near future, and in compliance with new Google Play Android app policies, Rakuten Kobo will be moving over to the Google Play processing platform for in-app purchases of eBooks and, where applicable, audiobooks. When that happens, customers may notice a few temporary changes to the reading experience as we fully integrate with the Google Play payment platform; we will work quickly to update and re-introduce reading app features such as the ability to purchase a Kobo Plus subscription and pre-orders.” The company has made it clear, there will be a few hiccups with switching over to a completely new billing system, but they will continue to support in-app purchases.

This is a savvy move for Kobo, since many of their competitors are no longer going to be selling content. This will allow them to get millions of new customers who will be loyal to the brand and maybe even buy a new e-reader from them. Kobo not only sells books, manga, comics, audiobooks and other media, but they also have their Kobo Plus subscription platform, where you pay a monthly fee and get access to hundreds of thousands of additional content.

https://goodereader.com/blog/audiobooks/...ooks-and-ebooks-on-android  

While on the surface of things this announcement may seem like any other, there are some genuine differences here which have potential for disruption.

Firstly, Rakuten is openly talking about hyperscaler lock in and how they would act as a management layer on top of a public cloud configuration to help CSPs avoid a troublesome commercial relationship with the cloud providers. This is something that keeps coming up time and time again in the conversations I have with CSPs, a genuine fear that isn’t really being publicly discussed by other vendors

Secondly, they are talking about bringing simplification and openness to telco IT architectures in doing away with additional layers of control like the proliferation of RICs (radio intelligent controller) we are seeing now in the RAN. I am seeing quite a bit of dissatisfaction at the moment with the way 5G end to end management and orchestration is panning out in multi-vendor environments. If CSPs can get around deploying a hierarchical pile of orchestrators and controllers I believe they will. If Rakuten can offer a path of less resistance to a CSP trying to build the IT environments they need to scale 5G and move to the standalone phase, it could be a very attractive alternative to their usual software procurement strategy.

Thirdly, it seems that Symphony have big plans for the Open RAN market in Europe and is ready to pump some large investment euros into realizing those ambitions. It announced that it is ramping up their presence in Europe’s most lucrative mobile markets, with an R&D facility in the UK, a new sales office in France and in Dusseldorf, Germany, is expanding its support office which is currently centered around the 1&1 deal.

https://inform.tmforum.org/...ny-poises-for-disruption-with-symworld/  

Rakuten is a Major Player in the Programmtic Display Market

Major Players Operating in the Programmatic Display Market:

April 3, 2022

Facebook

Google (Doubleclick)

Alibaba

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Tencent

AppNexus

Amazon

JD.com

Yahoo

Verizon Communications

eBay

Booking

Expedia

MediaMath

Baidu

Rakuten

Rocket Fuel

The Trade Desk

Adroll

Sina

https://chatttennsports.com/720898/uncategorized/...pnexus-amazon-jd/  

Currencies

Old spread

new spreads

aud/jpy

0,7 sen

0,6 sen

euro/schweiz

1,8 pips

1,6 pips

aud/schweiz

7pips

2,4 pips

NZD/SCHWEIZ

8pips

2,8 pips

AUD/NZD

12pips

2,8 pips

https://www.rakuten-sec.co.jp/web/info/info20220404-01.html  

 

https://www.nach-welt.com/...-millionen-stunden-auf-viber-gesprochen/  

Users of the Viber call and text messaging app in Greece made 1 billion calls in 2021, Rakuten Viber unveiled on Thursday, ANA reports.

In Greece, more than 90% of smartphones have installed the app, making it the top chat application in the country.

Greeks exceeded a figure of 90 million hours in talk time over the last 12 months, and they also sent 700 text messages per second using the popular cross-platform app. This translates to a 20% rise in call time and a 15% rise in the number of sent text messages. The largest volume of calls and messages were over popular holidays like New Year's Day and St. Valentine's Day.

https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/tourism-businesses/...s-during-2021.html
 

Rakuten Securities expands US ETF purchase fee-free stocks to 15 stocks, the largest number in the industry!

2022-03-30 by rehow

This time, by expanding the stocks with no purchase fees of US ETFs, the dividend yield is the highest among the stocks of “Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1” that invests in large high-tech stocks centered on GAFAM and Tesla and the S & P 500 index. Six new stocks that are popular with individual investors, including the SPDR Portfolio S & P 500 High Dividend ETF, which invests in 80 stocks, and the Vanguard / US Information Technology Sector ETF, which invests in US information technology sector stocks. You will be able to trade with no fees. As a result, the number of US ETFs with no purchase fees will be 15 stocks, which is the largest number among major online securities companies.

https://re-how.net/all/1798195/  

Eine aktuelle Studie von Moody’s zeigt, dass bereits gut die Hälfte der großen Neobanken profitabel ist. Sie wachsen mit geringen Neukundenkosten, bei den Einnahmen hapert es teilweise allerdings noch.

Frankfurt, 15.02.2022

Größte Neobank der Stichprobe der Ratingagentur Moody’s ist die Rakuten Bank mit einer Bilanzsumme von 58,7 Mrd. Dollar per Ende 2020.

bg Frankfurt – Die Ratingagentur Moody’s hat sich in einer Sektoranalyse den Neobanken gewidmet und dabei festgestellt, dass diese zwar Probleme hätten, sich als Erstbank zu etablieren, sie aber ein gutes Kundenwachstum zeigen. Unter die Lupe genommen wurden die global 20 größten „challenger banks“, die als Fintechs mit Banklizenz definiert wurden. Deren Assets hätten sich aggregiert von 2017 bis 2020 auf 319 Mrd. Dollar verdreifacht, bei einer von 170 Millionen auf 610 Millionen vergrößerten Kundenzahl . Moody’s zufolge ist gut die Hälfte der betrachteten Neobanken profitabel.

https://www.boersen-zeitung.de/banken-finanzen/...c-815d-1a729e35fd23  

Valuation of Rakuten-Bank from my last posting if you compare with NU-Bank?

Nu Holdings (NYSE:NU) is Disrupting Banking in Latin America, but the Valuation may be Concerning (yahoo.com)
 

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/...yse-nu-disrupting-011658424.html
 

Rakuten Rebrands Its C2C Marketplace App “Rakuten Rakuma,” Expands Lineup of Services to Create a New E-Commerce Platform that Contributes to the Circular Economy

- Rakuma Official Shops open today, building on increased collaboration with more than 130 reuse businesses.

Tokyo, April 5, 2022 – Rakuten Group, Inc., operator of the consumer e-commerce app “Rakuten Rakuma,” today unveiled a newly redesigned logo and app icon for Rakuten Rakuma, as the company aims to forge a new e-commerce platform that contributes to the creation of a circular society. In line with this vision, Rakuten also announced the full-scale launch of Rakuma Official Shops, which showcase more than 130 reuse businesses and 40 domestic parallel import businesses operating on the platform, and Direct from the Farm/Specialized Food Products Stores, which specialize in transactions involving agricultural and fishery products.

On the newly opened Rakuma Official Shops, reuse businesses and parallel import businesses – including major companies with experience operating physical stores – operate and manage a wide variety of products, such as professionally-inspected second-hand brand products and smartphones, as well as parallel imported products. In addition, through Direct from the Farm/Specialized Food Products Stores, food producers, manufacturers and distributors can sell specialized products such as agricultural goods and fishery products. Furthermore, Rakuten also plans to start selling official brand products from outlets and sale items in cooperation with apparel brands starting in the middle of 2022 (schedule subject to change).

Through Rakuten Rakuma, the company has committed to providing a platform that contributes to the creation of a circular economy, as it aims to lead the creation and development of a circulation market centered on second-hand goods and responsible consumption. Rakuten Rakuma, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, launched this rebranding project in order to create an even larger sphere of circulation as it evolves into an e-commerce platform that is far more than just a consumer commerce app. Moreover, Rakuten will further accelerate cross-use of Rakuten Ichiba and other services as it expands the Rakuten Ecosystem in order to achieve its goal of 10 trillion yen in total domestic e-commerce gross merchandise sales (GMS) and offer new value through e-commerce.

Since launching as Japan’s first consumer commerce app in 2012, Rakuten Rakuma has operated as a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace mobile app, with the concept of “connecting the items you no longer use with the people who need them.” The app is now used by people of all ages, thanks to advantages such as the ability to link one’s Rakuten ID and use Rakuten Points, as well as the ability to convert proceeds from items sold to Rakuten’s online e-money, Rakuten Cash.

Rakuten will continue to build on this new platform in order to contribute to the creation of a circular society through transactions involving both individuals and businesses, as well as provide services that deliver greater levels of convenience and offer higher added value to customers.

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2022/...=4&category=ec  

Short-Squezze nicht aus.  

4755:JPTokyo
Rakuten Group Inc

1,030.00JPY
+55.00+5.64%

VOLUME = 14,079,400

30 Day Avg Volume = 6,931,364

https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/4755:JP