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/  

 

 

Ambitious full-year targets fulfilled: Rakuten presents FY2024 and Q4 financial results

Rakuten successfully achieved all three of the key financial targets set at the start of 2024: Full-year consolidated Non-GAAP operating income profitability, monthly EBITDA profitability for Rakuten Mobile, and self-funding at the Group level.  

https://rakuten.today/blog/...ts-fy2024-and-q4-financial-results.html
 

Rakuten Mobile is the only company in the world that has achieved a fully virtualized network. We are now actively selling and integrating the software that supports this virtualized network overseas.
As for new projects, this week, we have already started experiments with Kyivstar in Ukraine. Moving forward, we are progressing toward a project to deploy O-RAN across the entire country of Ukraine.

On January 25, we also began similar initiatives in Kenya.

Additionally, we are providing a cloud and operating support software service called Robin.io to one of the major telecommunications companies in the United States, in a highly exclusive manner.

To draw a comparison, just as Amazon has externalized its cloud technology developed through its e-commerce business, Rakuten Mobile is selling its technology through Rakuten Symphony.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/...l-Transcripts-49072747/
 

 

 

17 Feb 2025

Arab Advisors Group organized the Rakuten Symphony VIP dinner in Dubai, the UAE, bringing together CXOs from leading telecom operators for an evening of insightful discussions and valuable connections.

https://arabadvisors.com/news/rakuten-symphony-vip-dinner-2
 

 

Nissan’s five-year CDS is about 216 basis points, SoftBank is around 210 basis points and Rakuten is about 201 basis points, according to CMA data compiled by Bloomberg on Feb. 17.

Nissan’s topped the Japan CDS rankings at a time when Rakuten’s spreads tightened on the back of improved earnings from its mobile operations.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...-rises-highest-japan-084510878.html
 

 

Rakuten Mobile Launches Spring Campaign to Support Life Transitions

Rakuten Mobile has announced a Spring Support Campaign aimed at children making their smartphone debut, as well as students and new working professionals. Customers who meet the eligibility criteria, such as signing up for a new plan and paying with Rakuten Card, can receive up to 14,000 Rakuten Points*, making their mobile phone fees essentially free** for one year. The event featured young Rakuten employees who shared examples of how utilizing the Rakuten Ecosystem can lead to effectively free mobile fees for life.

Limited-time points (valid for 3 months, including the date of issuance). Points will be granted around the end of each month for 3 months, starting from the second month after meeting the conditions.
Call charges, etc. are separate. Conditions such as using Rakuten Link apply. "Essentially" refers to the price calculated by factoring in the points granted later upon meeting the program's conditions and may differ from the actual payment amount.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkSrdnT4MbQ
 

Rakuten Bank, Ltd. reported consolidated financial results for the nine months ending December 31, 2024, showing significant growth with a 30.3% increase in ordinary income and a 40.4% rise in ordinary profit compared to the previous year. This performance highlights the bank’s strong position in the industry and its successful strategies, which may positively impact its stakeholders and market presence.

https://www.tipranks.com/news/...rts-strong-financial-growth-for-2024

 

 

Our goals for this year are to increase revenue and profit and to achieve full-year EBITDA profitability for Rakuten Mobile on a standalone basis.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/...l-Transcripts-49072747/
 

Rakuten’s dual AI-approach: developing proprietary large language models while leveraging its ecosystem for wide-ranging AI applications.  

The cloud-native necessity in telecom, with Rakuten Cloud

21 February 2025

How to simplify IT and network software operations to take advantage of new business opportunities and radically cut costs.

https://the-mobile-network.com/2025/02/...telecom-with-rakuten-cloud/
 

Rakuten International with USD 93.4 million income improvement

The Rakuten International business unit achieved revenue of USD 2,037 million, up 8.5% YoY, driven by strong earnings from Rakuten Kobo and Rakuten Viber. Non-GAAP operating income reached USD 48.5 million, an improvement of USD 93.4 million YoY, achieving full-year profitability through successful cost reductions and profitability improvements across Rakuten Rewards and portfolio businesses.

https://www.telecomtv.com/content/...ancial-results-highlights-52340/
 

CABIFY FUNDING INVESTORS

DATE INVESTORS AMOUNT ROUND

Sep 2012
Red Swan Ventures
Winklevoss Capital
E-Merge
Hit Forge
RESOLUTE Partners
Maurice Werdegar
€1.5m Series A

Apr 2014
Seaya
Brendan Wallace
Kevin Laws
Marc Bell Capital
$8.0m Series A

Oct 2014
Seaya
$4.0m Series B

Oct 2015
Seaya
Rakuten
Winklevoss Capital
Daniel Curran
Peter Livingston
Rakuten Capital
Cometa
$12.0m Series B

Apr 2016
Rakuten
Rakuten Capital
$120m
Valuation: $320m
Series C

May 2017
Seaya
Rakuten
AngelList
Endeavor Catalyst
Rakuten Capital
€91.0m Series D

Jan 2018
Rakuten
Endeavor Catalyst
TheVentureCity
GAT Investments
Rakuten Capital
Liil Ventures
$160m
Valuation: $1.4b Series E

Feb 2019
IDB
$70.0m Debt

May 2022
European Investment Bank
€40.0m Debt

Jul 2022
Mutua Madrileña
N/A Late VC

Mar 2023
AXIS
Orilla Asset Management
$60.0m
Valuation: $1.4b
2.0x EV/LTM Revenues Late VC

Jan 2024
BBVA
€15.0m Debt

Jun 2024
Rakuten
Mutua Madrileña
Orilla Asset Management
$21.6m
Valuation: $1.4b Growth Equity VC

Total Funding €443m

https://startup.spri.eus/companies/cabify  

The advertising business, which is highly profitable, grew by 7% year-on-year to 222.1 billion yen, making it a major growth driver.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/...l-Transcripts-49072747/
 

PodToo Announces Partnership with Kobo Books to Supply Audiobooks and Introduces SecureRSS Technology

December 16, 2024

PodToo, the leader in audio distribution innovation, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Kobo Books, a globally recognised platform for digital reading. This partnership enables PodToo’s audiobook publishers to offer their audiobooks directly to Kobo Books, providing creators with new opportunities to reach audiences worldwide.

PodToo ensures that publishers and authors who distribute via PodToo’s audiobook platform will have access to publish on Kobo Books, making their work accessible to Kobo’s extensive and loyal user base. This collaboration underscores PodToo’s commitment to supporting creators by expanding their reach and providing new revenue opportunities.

https://podnews.net/press-release/podtoo-kobo
 

Rakuten (4755) Earnings: Surpassing 4Q Estimates with Strong Operating Income and Sales Growth
February 14, 2025

Analyzing the analyst coverage of Rakuten on Smartkarma reveals a positive sentiment towards the company’s recent strategic moves. Travis Lundy‘s report highlights Rakuten‘s new Shareholder Benefit Plan, offering a free mobile plan to shareholders as a way to boost stock prices and increase mobile subscribers for 2025. Leonard Law, CFA, in the Morning Views publication, also mentions Rakuten as a high yield issuer, indicating positive developments within the company. Furthermore, Michael Causton‘s analysis focuses on Rakuten Mart, an upcoming online supermarket launch that is set to compete with major players like Amazon and Aeon, showcasing Rakuten‘s resilience in the e-commerce space despite criticism of its mobile business.

The collective analyst coverage on Rakuten from Smartkarma providers like Travis Lundy, Leonard Law, CFA, and Michael Causton underscores a bullish outlook on the company’s growth prospects and innovative business strategies. Despite challenges in expanding globally, Rakuten‘s core e-commerce operations and upcoming ventures like Rakuten Mart are positioned to strengthen its market presence and competitiveness against key industry players. Additionally, insights from Business Breakdowns highlight Rakuten‘s unique loyalty point system and diverse service offerings, illustrating its significant presence in Japan’s digital economy landscape.

https://www.smartkarma.com/home/newswire/...-income-and-sales-growth/
 

 

U.S. Loyalty Programs Market Growth Report 2025: Rakuten and Fetch Rewards have Disrupted Traditional Models by Offering Cashback or Gamified Points Systems, through App-based Loyalty Programs

February 14, 2025

Rakuten and Fetch Rewards have disrupted traditional models by offering cashback or gamified points systems, particularly through app-based loyalty programs.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/...based-Loyalty.html
 

Powerful contribution of Mobile to the ecosystem

The contribution of mobile services to other services is also steadily growing. For example, in Rakuten Ichiba, customers who subscribe to Rakuten Mobile increase their purchase amounts by nearly 50%. In Rakuten Travel, usage increases by about 15%, and in Rakuten Card, spending increases by nearly 30%. Rakuten Mobile is making a significant contribution.

Additionally, Rakuten Mobile subscribers are increasingly using other Rakuten Group services. Comparing those who subscribe to Rakuten Mobile with those who do not, Rakuten Mobile subscribers use an average of 3.17 new services, which is 2.43 additional services compared with non-subscribers. This demonstrates the powerful contribution of Rakuten Mobile to the ecosystem.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/...072747/#google_vignette
 

Rakuten Viki Content Acquisition 2025  Unraveling the Streaming Giant’s Strategy Vitrina AI

January 5, 2025

https://vitrina.ai/blog/...-the-streaming-giants-strategy-vitrina-ai/