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://canvasbusinessmodel.com/blogs/owners/...7Y0XLNpgT3x-enPOAnYsU

 

In conclusion, Rakuten?s earnings call highlighted a strong performance with notable achievements in revenue and EBITDA growth across key segments. Despite facing challenges with valuation losses and tax issues, the company?s strategic initiatives and forward-looking guidance suggest a promising trajectory for continued success.

https://www.tipranks.com/news/...s-call-strong-growth-amid-challenges
 

Rakuten Symphony & Odine: Revolutionizing 5G in Turkey, the Middle East & Africa!

May 13, 2025

Join SK from Rakuten Symphony as he speaks with Tarkan Alagoz, Chief Revenue Officer from Odine, about their exciting partnership and expansion plans. Discover how Odine & Rakuten Symphony are leveraging cutting-edge 5G technology to revolutionize connectivity in Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa. In this video, we dive into:

The booming 5G landscape and opportunities in Turkey
Odine's ambitious vision for expanding into the African market
How Rakuten Symphony's solutions are perfectly matched to address Africa's unique challenges.
The value that Rakuten Symphony brings to the market and to Odine.

Learn how this partnership is set to benefit Africa and potentially expand to other regions in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcGrQ8leXjM

 

Direct-to-Cell Revolution: What It Is and When It Will Work in Your Country

by Marcin Fr?ckiewicz on 14 August 2025

AST SpaceMobile: Texas-based AST SpaceMobile is building a constellation of BlueBird satellites designed as space-based cellular broadband towers. AST made headlines in April 2023 by conducting the world?s first space-based two-way voice call directly with standard smartphones (no special handset needed) en.wikipedia.org fierce-network.com. In that test, a call from a Samsung Galaxy S22 in Texas went through AST?s BlueWalker 3 test satellite and down to Rakuten?s network in Japan, using AT&T?s cellular spectrum satellitetoday.com fierce-network.com. By September 2023, AST had also demonstrated the first 5G phone call from space, calling from a dead zone in Hawaii to a Vodafone engineer in Spain via the satellite fierce-network.com fierce-network.com. They even achieved a 4G/5G data session around 14 Mbps downlink on a 5 MHz channel during tests fierce-network.com ? slow by terrestrial standards, but a major proof of concept. AST?s approach is to launch relatively few very large satellites, each with high capacity. In September 2024, the company launched its first 5 commercial satellites (BlueBird 1?5) on a SpaceX rocket ast-science.com space.com. These BlueBird satellites have beams up to 40 MHz wide, potentially delivering up to ~120 Mbps per beam in ideal conditions about.att.com businesswire.com. AST is backed by major telecom companies: Vodafone, Rakuten (Japan), American Tower, Bell Canada, and AT&T have all invested in or partnered with AST businesswire.com businesswire.com. In fact, AT&T, Vodafone, and even Google poured $155 million of strategic funding into AST in early 2024 to help it roll out this tech businesswire.com businesswire.com. AST boasts that it has agreements with over 40 mobile operators worldwide (covering 2+ billion subscribers) keen to use its satellite-to-phone service once ready businesswire.com fierce-network.com. The plan is to start with equatorial coverage and scale to global coverage by late 2025 or 2026 by launching dozens of satellites on Blue Origin and other rockets spacenews.com. The ultimate vision: deliver broadband (not just texting) to standard phones, effectively a space-based 4G/5G network. As AST?s CEO Abel Avellan said, ?Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today?s five billion mobile subscribers? businesswire.com businesswire.com.

https://ts2.tech/en/...ect,(and%2520on%2520regulatory%2520approvals).

 

Trump order relaxing commercial spaceflight rules boosts some space-related stocks

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...mmercial-spaceflight-102611125.html

 

Rakuten erzielt Rekordquartal und erstmals seit 2019 operativen Gewinn

11. August 2025

Rakuten Group hat im zweiten Quartal 2025 in allen Geschäftsfeldern zugelegt und mehrere Meilensteine erreicht. Der Umsatz stieg um 11 % auf 596,4 Mrd. Yen (rund 3,4 Mrd. Euro) ? der höchste je erzielte Wert in einem zweiten Quartal. Neben dem starken Wachstum bei E-Commerce und Finanzdienstleistungen trug auch die Mobilfunksparte maßgeblich zum Erfolg bei.

Erstes positives operatives Q2-Ergebnis seit 2019
Der Konzern erwirtschaftete ein Non-GAAP-Betriebsergebnis von 20,1 Mrd. Yen (ca. 115 Mio. Euro) ? ein Plus von 31,9 Mrd. Yen im Jahresvergleich. Das IFRS-Betriebsergebnis stieg auf 8,8 Mrd. Yen (ca. 50 Mio. Euro) und markierte das erste positive Ergebnis seit 2020. Das EBITDA erreichte 103,2 Mrd. Yen (rund 590 Mio. Euro) und damit einen neuen Rekordwert.

https://retail-news.de/rakuten-rekordquartal-2025/
 

AI-Nization: The Engine of Future Growth

Rakuten's AI initiatives are not just incremental upgrades but foundational to its long-term strategy. The launch of Rakuten AI, a free agentic AI tool integrated into the Rakuten Link app and available as a web app, exemplifies this. By leveraging user data from its 9 million mobile subscribers and 17 million Rakuten Bank customers, the company is building hyper-personalized experiences.

For example:

Rakuten Ichiba will deploy AI-driven product recommendations in autumn 2025, using user preferences and purchasing trends to boost conversion rates.

Rakuten Securities employs AI avatars to deliver real-time financial advice, while Rakuten Travel uses AI concierges to tailor hotel packages.

Affiliate Intelligence, an AI-powered affiliate marketing platform, addresses fraud detection and multi-touch attribution, potentially revolutionizing the sector.

These tools are underpinned by Rakuten's investment in smaller, efficient AI models (e.g., Rakuten AI 2.0 with Mixture of Experts architecture), reducing operational costs by 40% compared to traditional models. The company's participation in Japan's GENIAC project further solidifies its R&D edge in next-gen language models.

https://www.ainvest.com/news/...h-ai-driven-ecosystem-dominance-2508/

 

Rakuten's Q2 results also reflect disciplined cost management and strategic pricing. The Mobile segment's net ARPU rose to ¥2,474 (up 114 yen YoY), driven by data usage growth and bundled services. Meanwhile, the FinTech segment's cost-to-income ratio improved to 52% (down from 60% in 2024), thanks to AI-driven automation in customer service and fraud detection.

The IFRS operating income of ¥8.8 billion in Q2?Rakuten's first Q2 profit since 2020?signals a structural shift. With the Mobile segment on track for full-year EBITDA profitability in 2025 and AI initiatives scaling across 900,000+ business partners via Rakuten AI for Business, the company is building a durable competitive moat.

https://www.ainvest.com/news/...h-ai-driven-ecosystem-dominance-2508/
 

Rakuten's Q2 results also reflect disciplined cost management and strategic pricing. The Mobile segment's net ARPU rose to ¥2,474 (up 114 yen YoY), driven by data usage growth and bundled services. Meanwhile, the FinTech segment's cost-to-income ratio improved to 52% (down from 60% in 2024), thanks to AI-driven automation in customer service and fraud detection.

The IFRS operating income of ¥8.8 billion in Q2?Rakuten's first Q2 profit since 2020?signals a structural shift. With the Mobile segment on track for full-year EBITDA profitability in 2025 and AI initiatives scaling across 900,000+ business partners via Rakuten AI for Business, the company is building a durable competitive moat.

https://www.ainvest.com/news/...h-ai-driven-ecosystem-dominance-2508/
 

JPMorgan has initiated coverage on Rakuten Inc . (TYO:4755:JP) with an Overweight rating and a price target of JPY1,150.00, citing the company?s improving mobile segment and expanding ecosystem.

The Japanese e-commerce and digital services company has experienced share price weakness since December 2017 due to concerns about growing investment burdens in its mobile segment, according to JPMorgan. The firm notes that these losses are now diminishing, positioning Rakuten for improved financial performance.

JPMorgan expects Rakuten to further expand its price advantage in the mobile segment while addressing connection issues and strengthening customer support. These improvements should lead to accelerating net subscriber growth and average revenue per user (ARPU) growth.

The analysis highlights Rakuten?s fintech segment as another area of strength, with Rakuten Card and Rakuten Bank increasingly becoming primary financial service providers for their users. This contributes to what JPMorgan describes as a "multilayered ecosystem" spanning mobile, marketplace, and financial services.

From a financial perspective, JPMorgan believes Rakuten?s credit risk will remain limited as free cash flow improves, supporting the firm?s positive outlook on the stock through its December 2026 price target.

https://www.investing.com/news/analyst-ratings/...growth-93CH-4128655
 

AST SpaceMobile: Weltraum-Aktie: Hohes Risiko, aber hohe Chancen

15.08.2025 17:23 Uhr

UBS nahm die Beobachtung der Aktie des Satellitenentwicklers und -herstellers am Donnerstag wieder auf, vergab eine Kaufempfehlung und hob das Kursziel von 38 US-Dollar auf 62 US-Dollar an. Das entspricht einem erwarteten Aufwärtspotenzial von rund 21 Prozent gegenüber dem Schlusskurs von 48,50 US-Dollar am Donnerstag.

Analyst Christopher Schoell: "Neben potenziellen Finanzmitteln in Milliardenhöhe für Satellitenkonnektivität aus verschiedenen Programmen der US-Regierung (u. a. Golden Dome, PLEO-Programm des Verteidigungsministeriums usw.) und dem steigenden Interesse europäischer Staaten glauben wir, dass AST SpaceMobile in einer starken Position ist, um die Nutzung seines Satellitennetzes zu steigern."

https://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachricht/...hes-risiko-hohe-chancen
 

Rakuten AI 2.0 Large Language Model and Small Language Model Optimized for Japanese Now Available

Rakuten?s fine-tuned Mixture of Experts LLM and first SLM aim to accelerate Japan?s AI development with best-in-class scores

Tokyo, February 12, 2025 ? Rakuten Group, Inc. has announced the release of both Rakuten AI 2.0, the company?s first Japanese large language model (LLM) based on a Mixture of Experts (MoE)*1 architecture, and Rakuten AI 2.0 mini, the company?s first small language model (SLM). Both models were unveiled in December 2024, and after further fine-tuning, Rakuten has released Rakuten AI 2.0 foundation*2 and instruct models*3 along with Rakuten AI 2.0 mini foundation and instruct models to empower companies and professionals developing AI applications.

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2025/0212_02.html
 

The Hidden Figures Behind Viki?s Mandarin Drama Collection

Aug 1, 2025

https://blog.viki.com/...vikis-mandarin-drama-collection-e986af1cfd32
 

Aug 14, 2025

Rakuten Bank, a unit of Japan?s e-commerce giant Rakuten Group, has seen its total deposits almost triple from five years ago (CAGR of 24,6%)  to ¥11.7 trillion ($79 billion) at the end of June, as its online banking services attract more customers.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/08/14/...-jgb-buying-halt/

Revolut Deposits
Revolut reached £18.2 billion (25 billion) in total deposits in 2023, a 44% increase on the previous year.
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/revolut-statistics/
 

April 16, 2025

Rakuten TV, the European streaming platforms, has announced a new agreement with Mattel, the toy manufacturing and entertainment company. This partnership will bring a lineup of Mattel?s iconic children?s content across Europe. The content will be available on Rakuten TV?s Family channel and will also be accessible on-demand as part of Rakuten TV?s library of free content.

As part of the deal, Rakuten TV will offer a selection of beloved animated series and movies, featuring celebrated brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends, Monster High and more. The partnership covers key European markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal.

https://www.advanced-television.com/2025/04/16/...mattel-partnership/
 

Rakuten Puts ?Brain Twin? AI at Center of Retail Ecosystem

August 11, 2025

The centerpiece is Rakuten AI, an agentic AI platform designed to unify the group?s eCommerce, FinTech, telecom, travel and other services into an AI-powered interface. A rollout on the Rakuten Ichiba eCommerce marketplace is slated for fall.

For example, shoppers can take a photo of a pair of pants and Rakuten AI will find a similar one in the desired price range, the company said. Consumers don?t have to do keyword searches or set filters; Rakuten AI will anticipate their needs based on transaction history and other data.

After the fall rollout to marketplace, ?users can expect a significantly enhanced shopping journey,? Caitlin Cai, head of product at AI Lab, Rakuten Asia, told PYMNTS. ?While it won?t process payments on behalf of users, it will provide personalized recommendations and direct navigation to relevant product pages based on their queries and data.?

Cai also said Rakuten AI is both an AI agent and an agentic AI platform that aims to reshape how users interact with Rakuten?s ecosystem, across shopping, entertainment, education and more. It acts as an ?intelligent gateway? to unify diverse services into a single, unified interface.

https://www.pymnts.com/news/...2520advanced%2520new%2520capabilities.
 

Rakuten developed its own AI model to power its agentic AI capabilities. Not only is it deeply integrated with the company?s services and data, but it also comprehensively understands the Japanese language and culture, the company said in a July 30 press release.

Rakuten AI agents will grow more intelligent with every interaction, according to Cai. This feedback loop strengthens their ability to decode intent, unify fragmented data and drive action with increasing precision.

While the latest version of Rakuten AI is rolling out in the fall to its Ichiba marketplace, merchants already have access to its RMS AI Assistant beta version since last year. The R-Messe inquiry management tool uses AI to draft responses to customer questions; the R-Storefront image editor produces professional product images with customizable backgrounds; AI chatbots interact with shoppers and R-Karte is a data analysis tool that summarizes sales trends for merchants.
Generative AI use is growing. According to a March PYMNTS Intelligence report, 54% of retailers surveyed use gen AI to analyze transaction and payments data for customer segmentation in the past year. Moreover, 73% of retailers are planning to increase their use of gen AI to obtain and analyze transaction and payment data in 2026.

https://www.pymnts.com/news/...2520advanced%2520new%2520capabilities.
 

Marketing, Sales and Advertising Technology Innovators Honored in 8th Annual MarTech Breakthrough Awards Program

Prestigious International Annual Awards Program Recognizes Standout Marketing, Advertising and Sales Technology Around the World

August 14, 2025 10:00 ET | Source: MarTech Breakthrough

Performance Marketing        
Best Performance Marketing Solution: Rakuten Advertising
Performance Marketing Innovation Award: Taboola
Best Performance Marketing Company: Stream Companies

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/...wards-Program.html
 

May 2025

As we move through 2025, the momentum behind Open RAN continues to accelerate albeit at a gradual rate. Once considered a bold experiment, Open RAN is a key pillar in the evolution of mobile networks, driven by the global push for flexibility, cost-efficiency, and vendor diversity.

Recent market projections underscore this momentum. The Open RAN market is expected to be worth between $3.98 billion and $6.53 billion this year according to recent industry reports, with forecasts pointing towards significant growth, possibly even reaching between $19.58 billion and $41.5 billion by the end of the decade! In terms of its share of the total RAN market, Open RAN currently accounts for about 5-10%, but that figure could grow to as much as 30% by 2028 according to Dell'Oro Group. These numbers highlight not only growing confidence in the technology, but also the need for telecom operators to adapt to an open, disaggregated model.

https://www.firstpointgroup.com/resources/blog/open-ran-market-update/

May 2025
As we move through 2025, the momentum behind Open RAN continues to accelerate albeit at a gradual rate. Once considered a bold experiment, Open RAN is a key pillar in the evolution of mobile networks, driven by the global push for flexibility, cost-efficiency, and vendor diversity.

Recent market projections underscore this momentum. The Open RAN market is expected to be worth between $3.98 billion and $6.53 billion this year according to recent industry reports, with forecasts pointing towards significant growth, possibly even reaching between $19.58 billion and $41.5 billion by the end of the decade! In terms of its share of the total RAN market, Open RAN currently accounts for about 5-10%, but that figure could grow to as much as 30% by 2028 according to Dell'Oro Group. These numbers highlight not only growing confidence in the technology, but also the need for telecom operators to adapt to an open, disaggregated model.

https://www.firstpointgroup.com/resources/blog/open-ran-market-update/
 

My target for the end of 2026 is JPY 1,600 and for the end of 2027 is 2,400 JPY.  

The market is projected to grow from USD 3,758.59 million in 2025 to USD 54,032.29 million by 2034, exhibiting a CAGR of 34.5% during 2025?2034.

Open RAN, or open radio access network, is a telecommunications concept that aims to create an open and interoperable radio network infrastructure. It standardizes the interfaces between different parts of the network, allowing components from different vendors to work together. The growing demand for private networks across various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics, requires tailored and secure network solutions, thereby driving the demand for open RAN.

Additionally, the global push for 5G deployment is a major factor driving the growth of the open RAN market. 5G networks require flexible and scalable infrastructure to meet the demands of enhanced mobile broadband, ultra-low latency, and massive IoT connectivity. Thus, the growing adoption of 5G networks propels the demand for open radio access network (Open RAN).

https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/...-radio-access-network-market
 

The anti-Starlink play

While SpaceX dominates headlines with Starlink, AST SpaceMobile is building something potentially more disruptive: satellites that connect directly to unmodified smartphones. No special equipment, no new devices -- just your regular phone connecting to space when terrestrial towers can't reach you. Partners include AT&T, Verizon, Alphabet's Google, and Vodafone, covering billions of potential subscribers through carrier relationships.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...owered-growth-stocks-103000939.html

 

https://www.google.com/finance/quote/5838:TYO?window=1Y

 

Rakuten Group, a Japanese e-commerce company, and Amazon, a U.S. company, will enter the Japanese satellite communication market starting next year. A domestic company is entering Japan's satellite communication market, which has been monopolized by SpaceX's satellite communication network "Starlink" led by Elon Musk.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 19th, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has started to revise related systems to advance into the telecommunications market of its own company, Rakuten. It will decide the frequency or output of the radio wave and receive applications from new companies from next summer.

In line with the improvement of the system by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Rakuten Mobile, a mobile telecommunications affiliate of Rakuten Group, aims to start a new satellite communication service business between October and December 2026. To this end, it is investing in AST Space Mobile, an American satellite startup, to develop a communication satellite.

First of all, it plans to start a text message transmission and reception service and expand the service target to call and watch videos in the future. In July, mobile president Shunsuke Yazawa hinted at rapid advancement, saying, "We are looking into whether we can advance (the launch of future satellite communication services)."

https://www.mk.co.kr/en/world/11397256


 

Rakuten AI Optimism showcases AI-powered ecosystem for everyday experiences

2 hours ago

Between what is and what could be, there?s a powerful feeling: Optimism. That feeling took on a fresh identity as Rakuten unveiled Rakuten AI Optimism, the new name for its annual flagship event. The name change is more than cosmetic; it signals how AI has become deeply woven into the Rakuten Ecosystem. Held at Pacifico Yokohama from July 30 to August 1, 2025, the event gathered tens of thousands of business professionals, partners and innovators from across the globe.

Rakuten?s vision for an agentic future

Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Group, delivered the event?s opening keynote, reflecting on the company?s nearly 30-year journey. From its beginnings in e-commerce with Rakuten Ichiba to expansions into digital banking, travel and mobile services, Rakuten has built a vast ecosystem that connects more than 44 million users monthly across Japan.

During his presentation, Mikitani unveiled Rakuten AI, positioning it as the cornerstone of the company?s new agentic era. He described the launch of Rakuten?s new cutting-edge agentic tool as a transformative shift where AI acts as an intelligent agent, designed to decode user intent, unify fragmented data and take meaningful action across the Rakuten Ecosystem. Boasting deep Japanese context awareness, Rakuten AI combines proprietary Rakuten models as well as models from industry leaders, enabling it to provide more intuitive, personalized experiences.

Mikitani also spoke about Japan?s current pace of AI adoption, noting that while global usage accelerates, domestic engagement remains modest. Rakuten?s vision is to bridge that gap by making AI a natural and helpful part of daily life.

https://rakuten.today/blog/...ecosystem-for-everyday-experiences.html