Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Indonesia 5G Opportunity Beyond Coverage Expansion

Dhruv Sood

Indonesia's 5G opportunity is not just about expanding coverage—it's about transforming how networks are built, operated, and optimized. As operators continue to optimize their extensive 4G networks while accelerating 5G rollout, the real differentiator will be their ability to harness AI, cloud-native OSS, Open RAN, and automation to reduce Opex, simplify operations, and unlock new revenue opportunities. For a nation spanning more than 17,000 islands, distance shouldn't define connectivity—innovation should. In our latest feature, Rishi Shukla, VP and APAC Sales Head at Rakuten Symphony, explores what it will take for Indonesian operators to accelerate 5G while maximizing existing 4G investments and unlocking new growth opportunities through AI-powered network transformation.

Read the blog to discover:
Why Indonesia's unique geography demands a different approach to network modernization.
How AI, cloud-native OSS, automation, and Open RAN can reduce Opex and simplify operations.
How Rakuten Symphony is helping operators across Asia-Pacific build intelligent, future-ready networks.

Join Rakuten Symphony at BATIC + IgnitePRO 2026, taking place 24–28 August at the Bali International Convention Centre (BICC), Bali, Indonesia. Visit us at Booth #10 to experience AI-driven network operations, unified multi-domain OSS, Open RAN, and cloud-native solutions in action. Don't miss our speaking sessions, with Randhir Amarasinghe presenting "From Pilot to Payoff: What It Actually Takes to Put Enterprise AI into Production" on 25 August, and Rishi Shukla joining the keynote panel "From Demand to Impact: The Next Phase of Cloud Innovation and Adoption in APAC" on 27 August. We look forward to connecting with you in Bali.

www.linkedin.com/posts/...y-activity-7489992741096132609-DPIL

Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 – Tokyo, Japan

japantravelo.com/event/rakuten-fashion-week-tokyo-japan/

In April 2026, Japan’s METI selected Rakuten Symphony for virtualised Open RAN trials across seven countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Around 100 virtualised base stations per market are targeted, supported by funding of up to JPY8 billion, or $50 million.

telecomlead.com/5g/...ons-approach-1-5-billion-by-2030-127347

Rakuten to Offer Up to 150,000 Points to Flat 35 Borrowers Starting October

2026-08-19 01:55

Rakuten Group and the Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHF) announced a new program called "Flat Sumai-ru Points" that will award Rakuten Points to borrowers of Flat 35, a fixed-rate mortgage product with rates locked for the entire loan term, starting October 1. The program targets individuals who take out Flat 35 (purchase-type and guarantee-type), Flat 20, or Flat 50 loans on or after October 1, including refinancing. Borrowers will receive between 2,000 and 150,000 points depending on the loan amount. An additional 20,000 points will be granted to borrowers who have a child after taking out the loan, and survey respondents will also receive bonus points. Applicants must apply through a dedicated website to receive points. The program was introduced to support home purchases amid rising prices and interest rates that have made housing less affordable. The current terms apply to fiscal 2026, with fiscal 2027 details to be announced by February 2027.

finance.biggo.com/news/83a243a4-db4c-4738-889e-f2a4baa0c70b

Last quarter, we shared that the average annual revenue per customer using two of our segments is 5.4x the value of a customer using just one. A user of all three segments brings in 13.5x the revenue of a single-segment user. A Rakuten Mobile customer uses 2.43x more services across our ecosystem than a non-Mobile customer.  

One thing makes me especially proud: we have brought down the cost of mobile plans to Japanese consumers. Japan’s June 2026 Consumer Price Index shows a 13.6% increase in overall prices, but the cost of mobile plans has fallen by 21% compared to 2020. In parallel, our ARPU is up 60 yen year-over-year, to 2,921 Yen. This is the definition of a win-win situation.

We will keep improving our mobile service – 200 billion yen in CAPEX is planned in 2026 to improve network coverage. This includes plans that are already underway for capacity upgrades across Tokyo’s train and subway systems using 5G for the JR Yamanote Line and MIMO technology for the Tokyo Metro subway system.

Rakuten AI continues to evolve: AI store managers and our Super Agent

I am very excited about our AI store manager that will help shoppers around the clock, coming to Rakuten Ichiba later this year. This new avatar will learn from data held by individual merchants on our platform, providing highly personalised experiences for customers.

Our users will also soon see a Rakuten Group Super Agent that will coordinate with Rakuten’s agentic ecosystem to handle complex, multi-service tasks and interact with third-party services and tools that are outside of our ecosystem, expanding our ability to manage the entire customer journey from discovery to post-purchase delivery.

rakuten.today/blog/...to-democratize-mobile-connectivity.html

Rakuten Mobile will cross 11 million subscribers during next week.

Rakuten Ichiba gains share in e-commerce against Amazon, as it improves logistics capabilities to be on par with Amazon and Rakuten’s ecosystem strengthens over time.

www.morningstar.com/stocks/XTKS/4755/quote

Boosting productivity with an army of agents

August 7, 2026

By Abhishek Singh, Product Manager, GenAI Platform, Rakuten Symphony

A real productivity leap happens when specialized agents work together flawlessly. Each agent handles a specific domain-like customer support, claims processing or financial reconciliation-bringing focus and efficiency to complex workflows. Our GenAI Platform is purpose-built to deliver this coordination seamlessly, with cost and control built into every layer. You get the speed of specialized execution without the overhead of orchestration complexity.

symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...ductivity-with-an-army-of-agents

Rakuten Travel's 'Travel Cancellation Insurance' for domestic travel reservations has surpassed 1 million cumulative contracts

2026/08/19

Rakuten Insurance Planning Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Rakuten Insurance Comprehensive Counter"), which operates the "Rakuten Insurance General Counter," and Mysurance Inc. (hereinafter "Mysurance"), a subsidiary of Sompo Japan Insurance Co., Ltd. that operates small-amount short-term insurance services, have announced the " We are pleased to announce that the cumulative number of contracts for the "Travel Cancellation Insurance" (hereinafter, "this product") has surpassed 1 million in about four years since its launch in June 2022. This product covers cancellation fees incurred when canceling domestic travel reservations.

www.rakuten-insurance.co.jp/news/article/2026/20260819/

The system currently available at more than 14,000 sectors across Japan, functions in a closed-loop, autonomous lifecycle:

Detection: The AI RIC monitors the network in real-time, identifying coverage gaps, site outages, or traffic spikes before they become service issues.

Calculation: The AI determines the precise mechanical tilt and azimuth required to reshape the signal footprint.

Execution: The RTS adjusts the antenna, vertical and horizontal, in seconds with zero human intervention.

Healing: When a site goes offline, neighboring sectors autonomously rotate to fill the coverage gap, healing the network until the site is restored.

The results of initial reviews of live sites are definitive:
5G Traffic: Dynamic steering of tilt and azimuth achieved a 23.5% increase in traffic utilization.
Signal Quality: Improved by 5 points.
Congestion: High-load bottlenecks reduced by 75%.
Network Impact: Total operational costs savings of around 17% since deployment.

Why Azimuth Matters

In traditional mobile networks, the antenna's physical orientation is a set-and-forget variable. By enabling remote, autonomous azimuth and vertical tilt adjustment, Rakuten Mobile has transformed the antenna from a static piece of hardware into a dynamic, software-defined asset. This removes the physical constraints of geography, allowing the network to perform spatial load balancing, a significant leap beyond current industry standards for automated network optimization.

By digitizing the antenna and empowering it with autonomous physical AI capability, Rakuten Mobile is moving toward a future where mobile networks are always optimized and available and proactively anticipating demand.

symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...tennas-into-self-thinking-assets

Estimate of Consolidated Operating Results for the fiscal year 2026 (January 1 to December 31, 2026)
For the estimate of consolidated operating results for the fiscal year 2026, we aim for high single-digit growth in consolidated revenue compared to the fiscal year 2025. Regarding Non-GAAP operating income, we aim to achieve profitability again this fiscal year, and we also aim to achieve profitability in both income before income tax and net income.

Source: 26Q2tanshinE_pdf

of Operating income (loss), Income (loss) before income tax and  Net income (loss)

6 months ended June 30, 2025 (Jan 1 to June 30, 2025) 6 months ended June 30, 2026 (Jan 1 to June 30, 2026) - Millions of Yen

Revenue 1,159,073 1,309,052
Operating expenses 1,146,581 1,229,676
Other income 5,836 3,168
Other expenses 24,938 32,104
Operating income (loss) (6,610) 50,440
Financial income 10,111 20,047
Financial expenses 64,775 51,569
Share of losses of investments in associates and joint ventures (4,973) (1,035)
Income (loss) before income tax (66,247) 17,883
Income tax expenses 35,710 (7,546)
Net Income (loss)   (101,957) 25,429

Source: 26Q2tanshinE_pdf

The net income increased in the first half of 2026 127,386 million Yen from negative 101,957 million Yen to positive 25,429 million Yen. It the net income will increase in the next half year with the same pace like in year before, the net income will increase in the second half of 2026 the amount of 127,386 million Yen divided through 2 = 63,693 million Yen. If we add the 25,429 million Yen from the first half of 2026 and the 63,693 of the second half of 2026 = a net income of 89,122 million Yen or about $ 561 million for 2026.

If the net income in 2027 will increase 127,386 million again like in the last year (from June 30, 2025 to June 30, 2026) the net income in 2027 will be 89,122 million Yen plus 127,386 million Yen = a net-income of 216,508 million Yen or about $ 1364 million (1.364 billion).

By P/E of 20 for Rakuten with its strong growing net income the valuation would be $ 27.28 billion. That is by about 2.15 billion shares a share-price of $ 12.69 or 2,014 Yen.

“Mr. Nagao noted, we hold approximately 1 trillion yen of NOL (net operating loss carryforwards) arising from past investments. These are not yet recognized on the balance sheet, but we regard them as an asset of ours in a sense. Going forward, these NOLs will offset taxable income to a certain degree, so we believe our cash-generation capacity will strengthen further.”

global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/ (Q&A Transkript)

1 billion yen is 6.28 billion US dollars that Rakuten doesn’t have to pay taxes on from future profits. With an assumed corporate tax rate of 40%, that’s an unreported asset of 2.5 billion US dollars. With about 2.15 billion Rakuten shares outstanding, that’s already $1.17 per share in uncovered reserves. And for the company, that’s 2.5 billion US dollars in future additional liquidity.

You must understand that every day that passes Rakuten is getting stronger.

“Compared to traditional search, the time from searching to the purchase decision has been reduced by 40%, and the average order value has increased because the AI carefully analyzes the intent behind user questions,” she stated. “The AI Concierge also allows users to compare up to four products side-by-side (including contents, reviews, scores) and can summarize product pages on the spot (including features, variations, stock, reviews, price, and point rewards) so users don’t even have to leave the chat window to make a decision.”
The concierge has also introduced an element of gamification into the shopping experience. Takama observed that during major sales, user behavior undergoes a dramatic shift, as they seek to max out the number of Rakuten Points they can earn from their purchases. “Interestingly, during big events like the Rakuten Super Sale, users ask abstract questions to the AI like, What’s cheap right now? just to reach their 10-store purchase goal for point multipliers.”
The concierge represents a major transformation in the way shoppers navigate Rakuten Ichiba, which has been primarily driven by search for the better part of three decades.
“We haven’t stepped on the gas pedal all the way yet. We are being careful to ensure the quality of answers remains high before integrating it deeper into navigation,” Takama continued.  “Right now, we are focused on improving the user experience. We see traditional search and AI search coexisting for a while.”
Moving from transaction to discovery
Rakuten Ichiba’s AI strategy goes beyond just helping shoppers find exactly what they are looking for. The platform is leveraging AI to uncover users’ latent needs. It’s an approach that aligns closely with Rakuten’s founding philosophy, Takama explained: “Rakuten Ichiba was established in 1997 with the concept of Shopping is Entertainment.”
To modernize this concept, Rakuten Ichiba has introduced the Discovery Recommendation feature, seeking to shift behavior away from purely purpose-driven buying. Takama likened this novel, serendipitous approach to “wandering through a large shopping mall,” where unexpected encounters with new products and stores happen naturally.
Utilizing a personalized feed of product images and short videos created by merchants, the AI taps into shoppers’ underlying interests to surface hidden gems, effectively introducing shoppers to items they may not have even realized they wanted. “We plan to strengthen its entertainment value, potentially incorporating elements like live commerce.”
Empowering merchants and protecting individuality
Rakuten Ichiba’s consumer-facing AI tech is revolutionizing the shopping journey, but the platform is equally committed to supporting the merchants who operate behind the scenes.
“Our mission is to make unique merchants the main stars – not Rakuten,” Takama continued, “and facilitate as many encounters as possible between them and end-users.”
Merchants have access to a comprehensive suite of AI-driven operational support tools that assist with tasks ranging from writing product descriptions and editing image backgrounds to drafting responses to customer reviews.
“Currently, about half of our 50,000 merchants utilize these AI functions in some capacity,” explained Yusuke Yamakawa, General Manager of Rakuten’s Commerce & Marketing Technology Division.
“As usage has progressed, we are moving from just saving time to providing added value,” he continued. Merchants previously struggled to navigate complex data tools, but the new chat interface has changed this dynamic entirely. “Now, they can chat with the AI agent, which shows them actual numbers, insights based on those numbers, and suggests what to look at next.”
Today, some 72.9% of merchants using the agent are deeply analyzing their store data.
One concern among merchants is the prospect that relying heavily on AI will cause their stores to become generic and lose their unique appeal. Yamakawa reassured Rakuten’s partners that the technology is geared to highlight, not erase, their distinctiveness.
“The AI features are meant to streamline parts of the workflow, not replace everything,” he stated. “We are conscious of providing AI in a way that preserves individuality. The time saved through efficiency should be redirected into high-value tasks like merchandising and creating unique content to appeal to users, which actually helps them showcase their uniqueness better.”
The future of human-like hospitality
Rakuten Ichiba envisions its AI evolving into a bridge that replicates the highly personalized, human-like hospitality of an in-store expert – but on a massive scale. To achieve this, the platform plans to tap into the wealth of expertise held by its sellers.
“Moving forward, we want to integrate the knowledge of the merchants into this conversational AI,” Takama told journalists. “We have customer service pattern data from over 50,000 merchants, and we want to use this to create a true customer service AI.”
She gave an example: if a shopper has a general desire for a washing machine, Rakuten’s merchants have already created excellent content on how to choose one based on current trends. The AI Concierge should work exactly like a retail store clerk, offering this specific, curated expertise to users with abstract needs.
But there’s a delicate balance required to protect merchant secrets. “Merchants absolutely have original information they don’t want competitors to have,” Takama noted. “We are currently in the planning stages and want to design this carefully in consultation with the merchants. General trends can be learned broadly, but proprietary know-how won’t just be blindly handed over to the AI.”
By carefully blending general AI models – currently those of OpenAI – with the unique insights of individual merchants, Rakuten Ichiba is charting a bold course in the AI space. The platform is not replacing the human touch of retail but scaling it, ensuring that both buyers and sellers thrive in an increasingly AI-driven marketplace. “We believe the Rakuten Ecosystem has an overwhelming competitive advantage,” Takama remarked. “This is based on our ability to reach millions of users both online and offline, and the interconnected ecosystem we’ve built around the Rakuten ID. By leveraging data from over 3 trillion annual interactions across 70+ services, we can learn about our users’ needs to approach them in even more effective and novel ways. We want to use AI as a tool to achieve this.”

rakuten.today/blog/...-the-ai-nization-of-rakuten-ichiba.html

Business Messages are protected with encryption in transit. It means that as soon as the message is sent (it’s “in transit”), it’s encrypted and will stay encrypted while it is in transit until it reaches the final destination.
Rakuten Viber also ensures that public server connections are made over HTTPS only and whitelists IPs for each business.
Rakuten Viber doesn’t store customers' messages after delivery on its servers.
The company doesn’t sell its clients’ information.
Using mobile devices as a top choice
Mobile devices are the primary means of communication for young people, making it essential for banks to adapt their communication strategies accordingly. Rakuten Viber is a mobile-first messaging app, which means its design is tailored for smartphones and tablets. By leveraging Rakuten Viber as a communication channel, banks can accommodate the mobile preferences of this demographic, ensuring that their services are easily accessible and convenient to use.
Offering personalized and interactive experiences
This audience values customized and engaging experiences that cater to their needs and preferences. Rakuten Viber allows banks to create them for users by sending customized messages, sharing multimedia content (images, videos, stickers, and carousels), creating branded lenses, and conducting quizzes and surveys. This way, a bank can connect with the demographic more effectively and keep them engaged with the bank’s products and services.
Banks creating engaging experiences
The shift towards texting
About 75% of millennials – people born between 1981 and 1996 – prefer sending texts over making calls. As this trend continues to grow, banks should respect and adapt to this shift in communication preferences.
Calling young consumers may be perceived as intrusive and not give the required results. On the other hand, sending a message on Rakuten Viber can be a gentle yet effective way of initiating a conversation and providing support or information without being overly intrusive. If there are any issues that need to be discussed further, banks can also offer customers the option of calling them by providing contact numbers in Business Accounts.
Harnessing the power of messaging apps
By using Rakuten Viber to reach out to young customers, banks can tap into the platform's user-friendly features and vast user base to foster better communication and engagement. With Rakuten Viber, you can communicate in a familiar and effective way that matches the preferences of young people. Create stronger connections and ensure your services remain relevant and appealing to this digitally adept generation.
Easy-to-use and familiar app
The widespread popularity of Rakuten Viber among young people means that most of them are already familiar with the superapp's interface and features. This makes it easy for them to interact with banks on Rakuten Viber, reducing the learning curve and potential frustrations associated with adopting a new communication platform. Using an app that people are comfortable with, you can enhance customer satisfaction and strengthen your relationships with this key demographic.
Ways for Banks to Use Rakuten Viber's Features
To connect with the youth, banks should create helpful content that resonates with them. This could include infographics on financial planning, educational videos on managing credit or engaging stories about successful young entrepreneurs. By sharing such content on Rakuten Viber, you can provide value to this demographic and position yourself as a trusted resource for financial guidance and advice.
Using Chatbots to help customers
Rakuten Viber Chatbots can be a powerful tool for banks to streamline their customer support services and provide instant assistance. They enable automated, round-the-clock support for common queries and concerns, such as account balances, transaction history, and bill payments. This saves time for the customer and the bank and ensures that young people receive the prompt assistance they have come to expect in the digital age.
Sending special deals and offers based on what users like
Banks can leverage Rakuten Viber's personalization capabilities to send targeted offers and promotions to consumers based on their interests and preferences. For instance, they could offer travel-related credit cards to customers who frequently book flights or share details about student loan programs with those who have expressed curiosity about higher education.
Other ways to use Rakuten Viber include the following:
1-2-1 conversations between banks and consumers, providing personalized support and assistance.
Native advertising of bank’s services within the app.
Seamless Chatbot payments, allowing customers to effortlessly make payments through AI-powered chatbots.
People can choose services directly on Rakuten Viber, offering convenience and accessibility for users.
Up-to-date information on deliveries (keeping customers informed about the status of card deliveries), transactions, and other important updates.
Financial education to help consumers make informed decisions, promoting financial literacy and responsible money management.
Utility and bill payments directly through the app, simplifying the process for customers.
As Rakuten Viber continues to gain popularity among young people, businesses must embrace it as a primary means of contact. We encourage you to integrate Rakuten Viber into your bank's communication strategy – as a result, you'll be well on your way to forging lasting connections with the younger generation.

www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/blog/post/...o-young-generation/

Etienne Dupont
Senior Director of Global Sales & B2B Marketing at Rakuten Viber

Most businesses advertise only when they have something big to announce: a product launch, a holiday sale, a grand opening. The rest of the year, they go quiet.

The most successful businesses do the opposite. They find reasons to stay visible all year long.
Marketing isn't just Black Friday, Christmas, and the occasional product launch. It's dozens of moments, scattered across every month, each one a reason to reach the people who matter to your business.

Read on to learn about the different ways you can advertise your brand all year long, and how Viber Ads Manager can help make always-on campaigns easy, not exhausting.

www.forbusiness.viber.com/en/blog/post/...u-can-launch-today/

Rakuten identified data architecture as a true bottleneck. To transform a utility provider into a growth engine, the company proposed four strategic imperatives.
1. Unify the data estate
Rakuten sees AI as an amplifier: It makes the input louder. If you feed it fragmented data, you get fragmented output. The company made a strategic bet in building a deep learning foundation that unifies data across the entire Rakuten Ecosystem, spanning 70 businesses and 10 million offline touchpoints.
By enforcing a single Rakuten ID, the company has turned 45.9 million monthly active users into a high-fidelity profile. “Unlike generic AI agents that rely on inferred ‘shadow’ preferences, our AI reasons over deterministic, first-party transaction data – actual purchases, payments and redemptions,” Raju emphasized. “Companies cannot buy this asset after the fact. They earn it over years by genuinely serving customers.”
2. Solve real user problems
Rakuten prioritizes AI for high-impact utility, focusing on AI agents that plan, execute and complete transactions. For example, users can now search and book a hotel room or a golf course entirely through conversation with Rakuten AI.
“Our focus remains on augmenting human intelligence and care. A prime example is RAPTOR, our Gen AI-powered customer service agent,” Raju said. “By operating on a unified data foundation, RAPTOR goes beyond simple advice to resolve issues and anticipate needs, freeing human agents to service more customers.” By boosting auto-resolution rates across more than 10 business units, RAPTOR is expected to deliver 4.3 billion yen in annualized cost savings in 2026.
3. Partner with the best, build the best
To scale at the speed of the market, Rakuten embraces a dual-track strategy. The company partners with frontier model providers for rapid deployment and general intelligence, while building domain-specific small language models (SLMs) via model distillation. This ensures cost-efficiency, ultra-low latency and total control over proprietary data.
Rakuten currently has 11 AI agents live across services such as Rakuten Ichiba, Travel and Mobile, with more than 50 services planned. “Because we own the full stack, our agents don’t just advise – they transact, creating a ‘first mile’ of personalization and a ‘last mile’ of execution that competitors cannot replicate,” he stated.
4. Close the loyalty feedback loop
The backbone of Rakuten’s growth is the company’s AI growth flywheel, which moves through three sectors: engage, expand and differentiate. Loyalty programs, Rakuten Points and SPU, are not just rewards – they are the connective tissue of the Rakuten Ecosystem. In 2025, the company found that users who engage with the loyalty program use 4.6 times more services than those who don’t. The revenue impact is exponential: customers using three segments (Mobile, E-commerce, FinTech) generate 13.5 times the annual revenue of a single-segment user.
Most importantly, loyalty acts as a massive churn-reduction tool. “If we index the churn of a single-service user at 100, those using four or more services have a churn rate of just 1. We have successfully turned loyalty into a self-reinforcing cycle of revenue,” Raju explained.
From utility to growth
Looking ahead, Rakuten sees the future of telecom as not just the pipes, but the ecosystem built on top. Mobile operators hold the industry’s most valuable real-time context: location, app usage and service patterns. This is the “ultimate sensor.”
To the mobile industry, the company offers a clear roadmap for transformation:
        1.§Leverage the network as the ultimate sensor. Treat mobile context as a proprietary data asset.
        2.§Move beyond the utility trap. Build a data-centric architecture before asking AI to do anything with it.
        3.§Use AI to control the first mile and the last mile. Capture intent early and complete transactions end-to-end.
Business first. Data second. Technology third. The mobile industry must leverage AI today to activate their flywheel for future growth.
The four strategic imperatives outlined above represent one vision for telecom’s future. For a broader look at the mobile industry’s changing economics, and the paths available to operators, read the Rakuten Symphony Industry Growth Report 2026.

rakuten.today/blog/...d-ecosystems-to-supercharge-growth.html

Rakuten Card (Tokyo, Japan) announced that, starting August 3, 2026, it will waive installment payment fees for up to 24 installments when using eligible “Rakuten Card” cards issued under participating international brands at the Apple Store Online or at a nearby Apple Store, with no entry or pre-registration required.Installment payments are a payment method that allows customers to specify the number of installments for each transaction.

www.bing.com/...;FORM=SSQNT1&adppc=EDGEDSP&PC=EDGEDSP

In addition to Money Bridge, Rakuten Bank and Rakuten Securities launched “Rakuten Bank Securities-Backed Loans” in June 2025. This new collaborative service leverages the Rakuten Ecosystem by allowing customers to borrow funds from Rakuten Bank using domestic listed stocks held at Rakuten Securities as collateral. As a result of these initiatives, Rakuten Bank reached 18.07 million accounts at the end of March 2026, cementing its position as Japan's largest digital bank, and Rakuten Securities surpassed 14 million general securities customer accounts in April 2026, marking the largest number of non-consolidated securities accounts (based on disclosed information) among Japanese securities companies. These fully digital financial services do not require customers to visit a physical location, offering greater convenience and accessibility.

Going forward, Rakuten Bank and Rakuten Securities are committed to effectively utilizing the strengths of the Rakuten Group to deliver innovative and convenient services that go beyond those offered by traditional digital banks and online securities companies.

global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2026/0825_02.html

The Rakuten Rakuyoko website features a vibrant, pop-inspired aesthetic tailored to younger demographics. To enhance usability, the platform integrates personalized product recommendations on the home screen and product pages, based on individual browsing and purchase history. The interface is optimized for mobile, utilizing a vertical-scrolling design that mirrors the discovery-led experience of social media, allowing users to navigate products aligned with their personal interests.

Orders on Rakuten Rakuyoko are accepted from a minimum of 2,100 yen (including tax) and include free shipping. Customers earn one Rakuten Point for every 100 yen (excluding tax) spent, which can be applied to future purchases on Rakuten Rakuyoko as well as across the broader Rakuten Ecosystem.
Rakuten remains committed to expanding its customer touchpoints and delivering a compelling, value-driven shopping experience through this new platform.

global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2026/0825_01.html

I believe, the best investment of Rakuten today is to buy back a small portion of own shares: for example 100 million shares for only $ 500 million. This will reduce the outstanding 2.15 billion shares near 5%.

With the big cash flow of Rakuten this is no problem - and Raktuen will never could buy shares back like the low prices of today.

The pace of this growth is extraordinary. Rakuten Travel’s global GTV (Gross Transaction Volume; total value of all bookings processed) increased by nearly 70% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, followed by a further 78.5% year-over-year increase in the second quarter. When we look at our data from Rakuten Travel Xchange, forward accommodation bookings from June to September are up 70.3% year-over-year, reaching 233% in September alone. All this supports our outlook for another record-breaking year in total inbound spend in 2026.

Where are the travelers coming from?

One of the most prominent changes is the diversification of source markets—or countries where our travelers come from. Japan’s tourism industry had relied heavily on a few key markets in the past, but this is no longer the case.

The growth from Taiwan is a perfect example of this. Bookings are up 156% year-over-year, making it our largest source market by volume. We see similar trends across Hong Kong (+80.9%), Singapore (+36%), South Korea (+27.7%) and the U.S. (+12.1%) for bookings spanning June through September. This variety acts as a stabilizer for the industry, ensuring that Japan remains a top destination regardless of shifts in demand from any single market.

This momentum is driven by a rising number of repeat visitors rather than a mere temporary spike, proof that the Japan brand has wide and lasting appeal in its target markets.

“Evaluating the health of Japan’s travel industry solely by visitor numbers misses the bigger story.”
Who is visiting, and where are they exploring?

We are also witnessing a clear change in who is visiting. According to recent data from EY Strategy and Consulting, 65% of inbound visitors to Japan are repeat travelers.

First-time visitors tend to stick to the so-called “Golden Route hoteliers, and AI has evolved from a novelty to an essential infrastructure.

Rakuten has implemented AI-powered hotel search features as a digital guide to help solve the challenge of regional discovery. Last September, we rolled out a tailored feature on Rakuten AI that helps domestic users find hotels tailored to their unique preferences. Instead of a traveler spending hours filtering through endless search pages, our AI matches them with properties that fit their specific needs.

Technology alone won’t define the next chapter of Japan’s tourism industry, but it will play an increasingly important role in helping travelers discover more of the country.

All the indicators we are seeing point to another strong year for inbound tourism in Japan. But regardless of whether 2026 surpasses last year’s record, evaluating the health of Japan’s travel industry solely by visitor numbers misses the bigger story. The international visitors standing on train platforms around the country represent a deeper shift. Japan’s tourism economy has entered a new stage, one defined by repeat visitors seeking premium travel experiences in destinations across every corner of the country.

All data referenced in this article is from Rakuten Travel and Rakuten Travel Xchange, as of June, 2026.

rakuten.today/blog/...ing-as-a-global-travel-destination.html

As the speakers noted, the ultimate goal of this technology is not to automate the human element out of the store, but to enhance it. “At Rakuten, we believe AI should augment human creativity,” Mao noted. The key question: “How can business leaders leverage Edge and physical AI to handle the heavy lifting, so shop floor teams are freed to deliver true omotenashi (hospitality that exceeds expectation) and build lasting trust with customers?”

The event brought these concepts to life with live demonstrations, including a conversational shopping experience via a Rakuten Shop AI Kiosk powered by Dell and NVIDIA. During the demo, Soo interacted with an agentic AI avatar on a touchscreen to plan a hiking trip in Japan. The agent demonstrated an impressive ability to listen, adapt to abrupt changes in user instructions, and maintain privacy and governance standards for a secure, local experience.

As Japan faces a shrinking workforce, robots are increasingly viewed as a vital support system. NVIDIA’s Hu invited the Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot to the stage to showcase how AI-powered robotics can serve as a friendly store clerk greeting customers, navigating the floor, and even assisting with product retrieval.

By the close of the session, the consensus was clear: AI-powered interfaces and robots hold great potential to empower human experience.  

Hybrid AI: Bringing on-device intelligence to users anytime, anywhere

Another area experiencing a rapid shift is the realm of AI PCs. Here, AI tasks are migrating from exclusively cloud to a mix of desktop and cloud, effectively solving the challenges of rising token costs and connectivity. Taku Okoshi, Executive Officer and Director of the AI Services Supervisory Department at Rakuten Group, was joined onstage by Toru Matsuura, Director of Japan Personal Systems at HP Japan, and Jungo Kasai, Co-founder and CTO of Kotoba Technologies, Inc., to discuss why on-device AI is a game-changing development for both companies and users.

“By running AI directly on your machine rather than through the cloud, users gain faster, more secure, and more private experiences,” Okoshi said, highlighting the recent launch of Rakuten AI for Desktop on HP PCs in Japan. In this pioneering project, the development team overcame significant technical challenges to integrate the Rakuten AI 7B LLM into HP PCs.

Toru Matsuura shared how HP is embedding AI directly into their hardware, focusing on “always-connected” functionality and enhanced security features like  Sure View. “The industry is poised for rapid growth,” Matsuura commented. “HP projects that AI PC adoption will skyrocket from 5% today to 50% by 2030, fueled by the development of efficient Small Language Models (SLMs).”

Kasai from Kotoba Technologies then used an HP AI PC onstage for a live demonstration of his company’s on-device, real-time transcription voice AI. Participants at the event could see the speed and accuracy of on-device AI and how LLM-powered devices can help create more natural, inclusive human-computer interactions, even offline.  

Panelists discuss the next frontier of AI personal computers

The panelists concluded with the message that hybrid AI, combining on-device and cloud capabilities, offers new opportunities for cost efficiency while making user experiences more personal and accessible. As high-performance hardware, optimized AI models and software converge, the vision of “AI at your fingertips” is quickly becoming our new reality.

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