Rakuten Group, the owner of the Viber messaging app, has announced the opening of a Rakuten office in central Kyiv.
According to the company's press service, Rakuten also announced plans to join the Ukrainian initiative Diia.City to develop the country's IT sector in 2024.
Three Rakuten companies - Rakuten Viber, Rakuten Advertising, and Rakuten Rewards - currently have development and marketing teams in Kyiv and Odesa. It is noted that the new Kyiv office will allow the local team to work together and develop technology products and services more efficiently.
Rakuten's plans to open the office came after Rakuten Chairman and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani accompanied Japanese government officials on a visit to Ukraine in September 2023. Mikitani met Ukraine's leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhaylo Fedorov.
Among other things, Rakuten signed a memorandum of partnership with VEON Ltd. to work together to rebuild the country's infrastructure through Open RANs and digital services. In addition, Rakuten launched the Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis Emergency Relief Fund through its online donation platform, Rakuten Clutch Special Charity Fund, and held a donation campaign in support of Ukraine that raised more than 1.3 billion yen.
One of the next steps is expected to be the launch of Rakuten Viber digital wallet service in Ukraine after its successful rollout in several European countries. This service will provide Viber users in Ukraine with new financial services, including the ability to send money in and out of the country through secure instant transactions.