Lightwave

What Lightwave does

Lightwave Co., Ltd. (株式会社ライトウェーブ) is a privately held Japanese software company founded in October 1993 and headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa. The company's core business is the development, sale, and ASP-based hosting of a proprietary multi-currency, multi-counterparty back-office system package, designed for corporate clients whose operations involve cross-currency transaction processing and reconciliation against multiple counterparties. The same back-office product is delivered via two channels: direct on-premise/package license sales and an Application Service Provider (ASP) subscription model, giving customers flexibility between perpetual ownership and recurring access.

In addition to the core back-office platform, Lightwave provides commissioned (custom) software development and ongoing maintenance services for client-server business systems and web-based systems, essentially operating as a small systems integrator. The company also operates a membership-only email newsletter, '松田哲の独断と偏見の為替相場（会員限定版）' (Matsuda Tetsu's Arbitrary and Biased FX Market Commentary – Member-Only Edition), which functions as a recurring subscription content product targeting FX market participants. Since 2014, the firm has also engaged in renewable energy-related business activity, though this remains secondary to software.

The company is organized as a Kabushiki Kaisha with registered capital of ¥10,000,000, and is led by Representative Director Kobayashi Hideyuki (小林秀行). Lightwave holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (JIS Q 27001:2023) ISMS certification, continuously maintained since August 2005 and valid through August 25, 2026, covering package software development, email newsletter delivery, and commissioned software development and maintenance. All operations are domestic to Japan, and revenue, headcount, customer count, and pricing are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Lightwave

Legal name

株式会社ライトウェーブ (Lightwave Co.,Ltd.)

Website

https://lightwave.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lightwave Co., Ltd. is a Yokohama-based Japanese private software firm that develops and sells a proprietary multi-currency, multi-counterparty back-office system (via license and ASP), provides custom software development and maintenance, and operates a member-only FX commentary email newsletter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yokohama-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Package Software Sales: Sale of proprietary multi-currency, multi-counterparty back-office system packages to business clients.
2. ASP Services: Application service provider delivery of the proprietary back-office system to customers on a subscription or usage basis.
3. Software Commissioned Development & Maintenance: Custom software development and ongoing maintenance services for clients.
4. Email Magazine Subscription Service: Operation of the 'Matsuda Satoshi's Arbitrary FX Market Commentary (Member-Only Edition)' email newsletter distribution service.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Lightwave develops and sells a proprietary multi-currency, multi-counterparty back-office software package, offered either through one-time license (on-premise) or via Application Service Provider (ASP) subscription delivery. The company also provides custom software development and maintenance services for client-server and web-based business systems, and operates a member-only forex market commentary email magazine.

Product overview

Lightwave Co., Ltd. offers a portfolio of software products and services centered on its proprietary multi-currency back-office system package, delivered either as a direct license or via ASP subscription. The company additionally operates a forex-focused mail magazine membership service called '松田哲の独断と偏見の為替相場（会員限定版）'. Alongside these core offerings, Lightwave provides custom systems development for client-server and web-based business applications, and software entrustment development and maintenance services. Since 2014, the company has also expanded into renewable energy-related ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 松田哲の独断と偏見の為替相場（会員限定版）: Email magazine distribution service for currency exchange rate commentary (member-only version)

Products and services

• Multi-currency, Multi-counterparty Back-Office System (多通貨対応バックオフィスシステム)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• NTT Data Group Corporation: Japan's largest IT systems integrator with a deep financial-institutions practice. Comparable as a vendor competing for the same Japanese enterprise back-office and financial-systems contracts, although as a broad incumbent across many industries rather than a niche specialist.
• Money Forward, Inc. Japanese cloud SaaS leader across accounting, payroll, HR, and financial back-office. Comparable as a Japan-focused back-office software vendor, but at vastly larger scale and on a pure-SaaS subscription model versus Lightwave's license-plus-ASP mix.
• BIPROGY Inc. (formerly UNISYS Japan): Japanese IT services firm with a strong financial-sector custom development and managed-services practice. Comparable as a competitor for the same commissioned-software and maintenance engagements with Japanese financial and enterprise clients.
• freee K.K. Japanese cloud accounting/back-office SaaS targeting SMBs and self-employed. Comparable as a Japan-based back-office software company serving the same broad customer persona, though materially larger and newer-platform-native.
• Works Applications Co., Ltd. Japanese enterprise software company offering cloud ERP and back-office suites for SMB and mid-market enterprises. Comparable as a Japan-based back-office enterprise software vendor, though at significantly larger scale and with broader product suite.
• TIS Inc. Major Japanese IT services firm with a sizable financial-sector client base offering custom development, maintenance, and managed services. Comparable as a Japan-based software services vendor with the same commissioned-development and maintenance revenue mix, at materially larger scale.

Others

• Cybozu, Inc. Japanese business software vendor serving SMBs with collaboration, HR, and back-office SaaS. Adjacent peer: same Japan SMB back-office buyer persona, similar packaged-SaaS deployment philosophy, but different product category (collaboration vs. multi-currency back-office).
• Sansan, Inc. Japanese B2B SaaS company delivering business-card capture and contract DX platforms. Adjacent peer as a Japanese enterprise SaaS vendor with recurring subscription revenue, though operating in a different functional niche.

Direct peers

• Yayoi Co., Ltd. (弥生株式会社): Dominant Japanese SMB accounting/payroll packaged-software vendor. Comparable as a Japanese packaged back-office software company with both licensed and SaaS delivery, serving a similar business-customer base with similar compliance and integration needs.
• OBC Co., Ltd. (オービックビジネスコンサルタント): Leading Japanese SMB accounting/ERP packaged-software vendor (弥生's main rival). Directly comparable: same packaged-software-plus-ASP delivery model targeting Japanese business back-office customers with similar deployment flexibility and ISMS-grade requirements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lightwave