Mobile, fintech and AI: Why I’m excited about 2025
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group
As we step boldly into another new year, I find myself energized by the transformative journey we’ve undertaken at Rakuten. In 2024, industries around the world experienced an unprecedented technological acceleration, amid which we not only achieved significant business milestones, but also reinforced our commitment to empowering digital innovation, making it accessible to individuals, communities, businesses and society on a global scale.
Driving growth and revolutionizing mobile connectivity
In our core internet services business, we achieved an estimated 6 trillion yen in annual domestic e-commerce gross merchandise sales for 2024. Our fintech services also continued to break new ground – Rakuten Card reached a quarterly milestone of 6 trillion yen in shopping transaction volume, while Rakuten Bank and Rakuten Securities surpassed 16.19 million and 11.65 million accounts respectively, cementing their places as the leading digital bank and online securities brokerage in Japan.
“Mobile phones are no longer just for communicating – they’re your wallet, your bank, your school and an indispensable tool of daily life.”
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group
But perhaps what excites me most is our progress in the mobile sector. In 2024, Rakuten Mobile launched commercial services using the 700 MHz “platinum band.” This, among many other improvements to our network, has helped us grow to reach a total of over 8.3 million subscribers.
Mobile phones are no longer just for communicating – they’re your wallet, your bank, your school and an indispensable tool of daily life. Rakuten Mobile’s embrace of revolutionary mobile technologies has allowed us to offer unlimited data for an affordable price, driving down average mobile subscription costs in Japan even as overall living costs continue to rise.
All of this has come together to realize a Rakuten Ecosystem that’s never been stronger. We’ve reached an incredible 44 trillion yen in annual global gross transaction volume, serving a worldwide membership of 1.9 billion people.
In Q3, we recorded our first quarterly operating profit since we started the full-scale buildout of our mobile network. The synergy of our e-commerce, fintech and mobile businesses is driving unprecedented value for the Rakuten Group, even as we continue to invest in the future.
On the sports field, we also had much to celebrate: Vissel Kobe earned their second consecutive J1 League championship in December, hot on the heels of their Emperor’s Cup victory the previous month. It took us two decades to get here, but Vissel has truly become one of the strongest football clubs in Asia.
Embracing AI to transform the future
All of this is happening as we undergo a fundamental shift in the global economy. Four revolutionary forces – the internet, smartphones, cloud computing and now artificial intelligence – are reshaping our world. Traditional physical and financial economies are increasingly operating atop a virtual economy, built on digital networks and massive data centers. This isn’t just a technological shift; it’s a complete reimagining of how value is created.
At Rakuten, we’re embracing this transformation through our mission to empower people and businesses through AI. Rakuten AI is driving powerful solutions that drastically improve our own efficiency, empower our clients and enhance customer experiences. Meanwhile, we are also leveraging Rakuten’s powerful data to build and launch our own cutting-edge AI models, and even giving our mobile subscribers free access to some of our most innovative tech.
Moving into 2025, we remain committed to our mission of empowering people and society through technology. Rakuten will continue to push new boundaries, embrace new challenges and create value for our customers and partners worldwide.
