The IPO year of Rakuten, Inc. is 2012
Initial public offering is a type of public offering in which shares of a company usually are sold to institutional investors that in turn, sell to the general public, on a securities exchange, for the first time.
Through IPO a privately held company transforms into a public company. Initial public offerings are mostly used by companies to raise the expansion of capital, possibly to monetize the investments of early private investors, and to become publicly traded enterprises. A company selling shares is never required to repay the capital to its public investors. After the IPO, when shares trade freely in the open market, money passes between public investors.
Although IPO offers many advantages, there are also significant disadvantages, chief among these are the costs associated with the process and the requirement to disclose certain information that could prove helpful to competitors.
The IPO process is colloquially known as going public. Details of the proposed offering are disclosed to potential purchasers in the form of a lengthy document known as a prospectus. Most companies undertake an IPO with the assistance of an investment banking firm acting in the capacity of an underwriter. Underwriters provide several services, including help with correctly assessing the value of shares.
Rakuten Group, Inc. offers internet services in Japan and internationally. It operates through three segments: Internet Services, FinTech, and Mobile segments. The Internet Services segment operates Rakuten Ichiba, an internet shopping mall; Rakuten Books, an online bookstore; Rakuten Travel, an internet travel site; Rakuten Gora, an online golf course reservation service; Rakuten Fashion, an online fashion store; Rakuma, a flea market app; Rakuten Rewards, which offers online cash-back services; and Rakuten 24, an internet shopping site that sells medical supplies and daily necessities. It also offers mobile messaging and VoIP, performance marketing, and e-book services. The FinTech segment issues credit cards; offers internet banking, general and life insurance, and payment services; and operates online securities trading platform. The Mobile segment provides mobile communication, optical broadband line, and power supply services. The company was formerly known as Rakuten, Inc. and changed its name to Rakuten Group, Inc. in April 2021. Rakuten Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.