GMO Internet

GMO Internet Group, Inc. (GMOインターネットグループ株式会社, GMO Intānetto Gurūpu Kabushiki-gaisha) is an Internet company which is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.^[1] It is also the holding company of GMO Internet Group. The head office is located in Cerulean Tower in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its founder, Masatoshi Kumagai, is now among the wealthiest in Japan with an estimated net worth of more than $1 billion as of June 2020.^[2]

GMO Internet Group, Inc.

Native name	GMOインターネットグループ株式会社
Romanized name	GMO Intānetto Gurūpu Kabushiki-gaisha
Formerly	Voice Media Inc. (1991–1995) interQ Inc. (1995–2001) Global Media Online, Inc. (2001–2005) GMO Internet, Inc. (2005–2022)
Company type	Public
Traded as	9449 (TYO)
Industry	Information and Communication
Founded	24 May 1991
Founder	Masatoshi Kumagai
Headquarters	Tokyo , Japan
Products	Internet Infrastructure (Domain Registrar, Domain Registry, Hosting & Cloud, Security, Payment, E-commerce Solutions, ISP), Online Advertising & Media, Internet Financial Services (FX Trading, Securities Trading), Mobile Entertainment, Cryptocurrency (Exchange, Mining)
Revenue	JPY154 billion (2017)
Net income	JPY8.0 billion (2017)
Number of employees	5,454 (2018)
Website	https://www.gmo.jp/en/

Overview

While GMO Internet Group is mainly engaged in the Internet infrastructure business, it also runs other businesses such as online advertising & media, Internet financial services, mobile entertainment, and cryptocurrency.^[3] It is a market leader for domain names and web hosting services in Japan.^[4] GMO Internet Group has 9 listed companies, including the head office itself.^[5] The company operates under the corporate slogan of "Internet for Everyone" and offers employee benefits such as a 24-hour staff canteen which provides free meals, childcare facilities, and so on. Furthermore, some employees also have the option to receive their salaries in bitcoin.^[6]

History

Voice Media Inc. (株式会社ボイスメディア, Kabushiki-gaisha Boisu Media) was established by Masatoshi Kumagai in May 1991. The multi-media company changed its name to interQ Inc. (インターキュー株式会社, IntāKyū Kabushiki-gaisha) in November 1995 and shifted its focus to the provision of Internet and service infrastructure.^[7] It changed its name again in April 2001 to Global Media Online, Inc. (グローバルメディアオンライン株式会社, Gurōbaru Media Onrain Kabushiki-gaisha) and then again on June 1, 2005 to GMO Internet, Inc. (GMOインターネット株式会社, GMO Intānetto Kabushiki-gaisha) before it began using its current name since September 1, 2022. In November 2013, GMO Internet acquired Gamepot, an online game company that owned Wizardry. It was shut down and absorbed into GMO Internet on December 1, 2017.^[8][9] On October 29, 2020, Drecom announced they had acquired Wizardry from GMO Internet.^[10]

Business Segments

• Domain registration (Onamae.com, Muu Muu Domain, VALUE DOMAIN, Z.com, etc.)
• Web hosting (Onamae.com rental server, GMO Cloud Public, LOLIPOP!, XREA, CORE SERVER.JP, etc.)
• Internet service provider (InterQ, ZERO, Bekkoame, GMO toku toku BB, etc.)
• SSL security (GMO GlobalSign: The "GlobalSign" brand has become a recognized global brand for SSL certification.)
• Payment service (GMO Payment Gateway, GMO Epsilon, etc.)
• Online trading (GMO CLICK Securities, FXPRIME by GMO, etc.)
• Online media (Kumapon, 9199.jp, JWord, freeml, JUGEM, etc.)
• Online search (infoQ)
• Mobile entertainment (GMO GameCenter, GMO Gamepot: Absorbed into GMO Internet on December 1, 2017^[8])
• Cryptocurrency (GMO Coin)

Group Companies

GMO Internet has a total of 106 companies worldwide, including 9 listed companies.^[5] Some of the more prominent companies are as follows.^[11]

Internet Infrastructure

• GMO Internet Group, Inc. (TYO: 9449)
• GMO Cloud K.K. (TYO: 3788)
• GMO Payment Gateway, Inc. (TYO: 3769)
• GMO Epsilon, Inc.
• GMO Pepabo, Inc. (TYO: 3633)
• GMO GlobalSign NV.
• GMO-Z.com USA Inc.
• GMO DigiRock
• GMO Brights Consulting Inc.

Advertising & Media

• GMO AD Partners Inc. (TYO: 4784)
• GMO AD Marketing Inc.
• GMO Media, Inc. (TYO: 6180)
• GMO INSIGHT INC.
• GMO NIKKO.
• GMO NIKKO AD CAMP.
• GMO UniteX Inc.
• GMO PlayAd Inc.
• GMO TECH, Inc. (TYO: 6026)
• Shift-One, Inc.
• GMO Creators Network, Inc.
• GMO Kumapon Inc.
• GMO SOLUTIONPARTNER Inc.
• GMO digitallab, Inc.
• GMO MAKESHOP Co. Ltd.
• GMO Media Inc.
• GMO Research, Inc. (TYO: 3695)

Internet Financial Services

• GMO CLICK Securities, Inc.
• GMO Financial Holdings, Inc. (TYO: 7177)
• FX PRIME by GMO Corporation

Cryptocurrency

• GMO-Z.com Switzerland AG

Others

• GMO VenturePartners, Inc.

Z.com

In 2014, GMO Internet Group made headlines when it bought the Z.com domain name from Nissan for US$6.8 million.^[12] It was mentioned in their press release that Z.com was acquired to spearhead GMO Internet Group's global growth strategy and provide the group with a powerful tool to build a strong global brand.^[13]

References

1. "JPX-Nikkei400 / JPX-Nikkei Mid Small | Japan Exchange Group". Japan Exchange Group. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
2. Leung, Ruby. "Former High School Dropout Becomes Billionaire As Japan's Internet Usage Soars". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
3. "Corporate Outline | Corporate Profile | GMO Internet, Inc". Retrieved 2018-08-28.
4. "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
5. "GMO Internet Group Profile" (PDF). GMO Internet Group. March 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
6. "GMO Internet to start paying its employees' salaries partially in bitcoin". The Japan Times Online. 2017-12-15. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
7. "Corporate Historys | Corporate Profile | GMO Internet, Inc". Retrieved 2018-08-28.
8. "連結子会社の吸収合併（簡易合併）に関するお知らせ". GMO Internet. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
9. Ressler, Karen (27 October 2017). "Japanese Online Game Publisher Gamepot Goes Defunct". Anime News Network. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
10. "2021年3月期 第2四半期 決算説明会" (PDF). Drecom. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
11. "Group Companies | Corporate Profile | GMO Internet, Inc". Retrieved 2018-08-29.
12. "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
13. "Japanese Internet Services Provider, GMO Internet Acquires Z.com for JPY800 million". GMO Internet News | GMO Internet, Inc. Retrieved 2018-08-29.