Rakuten Investment Management Co.

What Rakuten Investment Management Co. does

Rakuten Investment Management, Inc. (楽天投信投資顧問株式会社) is a Tokyo-based asset management company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rakuten Securities Holdings Co., Ltd., itself part of the Rakuten Group conglomerate. Founded on December 28, 2006 with registered capital of approximately ¥150 million, the firm designs, manages, and distributes Japanese-domiciled investment trusts and ETFs for the Japanese retail market. Its core technology is a fund-of-funds platform that wraps low-cost Vanguard ETFs (e.g., VT, VTI, VXUS, VWO, VYM) to deliver yen-hedged or yen-unhedged index exposure to Japanese investors.

The product portfolio spans three flagship lines — the Rakuten Index Series (passive global index), Rakuten Plus Series (Japan- and US-focused passive products on S&P 500, NASDAQ-100, Nikkei 225), and Rakuten High Dividend and Premium Income Series (dividend- and covered-call-driven income strategies) — alongside leveraged/inverse products (e.g., 4.3x bull and 3.8x bear variants on Japanese equities), target-date series (2030/2040/2050/2055/2060), thematic products (IPO, India Nifty50, J-REIT/alternative-data), and a robo-advisor collaboration (WealthNavi × Rakuten). Pricing is asset-based management fees; most funds are no-load on internet channels, while face-to-face distributors may charge up to 3.30% purchase fees, and the lowest index expense ratios are around 0.1322%.

The company sells exclusively through third-party financial institutions. Distribution spans 40+ partners including the affiliated Rakuten Securities, plus SBI Securities, Monex Securities, GMO Click Securities, Sony Bank, Shizuoka Bank, and — most recently as of June 2026 — Mizuho Bank. End customers are predominantly Japanese retail investors building long-term wealth, often through NISA tax-advantaged accounts and systematic (つみたて) plans, with additional affluent and institutional-grade users seeking low-cost diversified exposure. Management fees on AUM are the sole revenue stream. The current president and representative director is Masayuki Higashi, and the firm has a headcount of 11-50 employees.

Name

Rakuten Investment Management Co.

Legal name

Rakuten Investment Management, Inc. (楽天投信投資顧問株式会社)

Website

https://rakuten-toushin.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rakuten Investment Management Co. is a Tokyo-based asset management firm and wholly-owned subsidiary of Rakuten Securities Holdings that designs and manages Japanese-domiciled investment trusts and ETFs, distributed through 40-plus Japanese securities firms and banks to retail investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Open-End Investment Funds (52591)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAAAEAE

Index Mutual Funds (Non-ETF)

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — Mutual Funds & UCITS

SECONDARYFSAAACAC

Portfolio Management–Led RIAs (Discretionary/Model-Based)

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) & Independent Wealth Managers

SECONDARYFSAEAAAB

Investment Management Advisory (RIA)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Investment Advisory & Financial Planning

Keywords

• Investment trust management
• ETF management
• Index fund management
• Asset management services
• Retail investment funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment trust management fees: Rakuten Investment Management generates revenue through management fees charged on its investment trusts and ETFs. Fee rates vary by fund, with index funds offering low-cost options (e.g., Rakuten VT at 0.1322% or lower as the operating expense ratio).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rakuten Investment Management Co. is an asset management company that creates, manages, and operates investment trusts (mutual funds) and ETFs in Japan. Its products include low-cost index funds tracking global equity and bond indices, high-dividend equity funds, premium income funds using covered call strategies, leveraged and inverse ETFs, target-date funds, and robo-advisor allocations. Funds are distributed exclusively through third-party securities companies and banks, with Rakuten Securities as the primary affiliated distributor.

Product overview

Rakuten Investment Management Co. (楽天投信投資顧問株式会社) operates as a comprehensive investment trust and ETF management company within the Rakuten Group. The company offers three main product series: (1) 楽天インデックス・シリーズ (Rakuten Index Series) - low-cost index funds tracking global indices including MSCI, FTSE, CRSP US Total Market, and Bloomberg Global Bond; (2) 楽天・高配当株式シリーズ (Rakuten High Dividend Series) - dividend-focused funds for Japanese and US markets; and (3) 楽天・プレミアム・インカムシリーズ (Rakuten Premium Income Series) - income-generating funds through covered call strategies. Additionally, the company offers leverage/inverse products like 楽天日本株4.3倍ブル and 楽天ETF for short-term trading, target date funds (楽天ターゲットイヤー series), thematic funds (IPO, India Nifty50), and robo-advisor services (ウェルスナビ×R). The company primarily invests in Vanguard ETFs for its index funds and utilizes a fund-of-funds structure for efficient portfolio management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rakuten Index Series (楽天インデックス・シリーズ): Low-cost index fund series tracking global equity and bond indices including VT, VTI, VXUS, VWO, and VYM
• Rakuten Plus Series (楽天・プラスシリーズ)
• Rakuten High Dividend Stock Series (楽天・高配当株式シリーズ)
• Rakuten Premium Income Series (楽天・プレミアム・インカムシリーズ)
• Rakuten Leverage Products (楽天ブルベア・シリーズ)

Products and services

• Rakuten Index Series (楽天インデックス・シリーズ) A comprehensive series of low-cost index funds providing diversified exposure to global and regional equity and bond indices. Includes funds tracking MSCI, FTSE, CRSP US Total Market, and Bloomberg Global Bond Index, using Vanguard ETFs (VT, VTI, VXUS, VWO, VYM) as underlying assets. Targeted at Japanese retail investors seeking diversified long-term core portfolio holdings.
• Rakuten Plus All-Country Equity Index Fund (楽天・プラス・オールカントリー株式インデックス・ファンド)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vanguard (The Vanguard Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationRakuten Investment Management leverages Vanguard ETFs as the primary underlying investment vehicles for its Rakuten Index Series (formerly Rakuten Vanguard Fund series). The partnership provides access to Vanguard's globally recognized, low-cost ETFs such as Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, and Vanguard Total International Stock ETF, enabling Rakuten to offer diversified, low-cost index investment trusts to Japanese retail investors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Asset Management One: Mitsubishi UFJ-affiliated Japanese asset manager with extensive mutual fund lineup including index and active funds. Comparable in serving Japanese retail investors via bank/securities distribution and offering low-cost index funds.
• SBI Asset Management: SBI Group's asset management subsidiary, known for ultra-low-cost eMAXIS series index funds. Direct competitor in low-cost Japanese index funds, distributing primarily through SBI Securities and other online brokers.
• Nomura Asset Management: Largest Japanese asset manager with broad mutual fund and ETF lineup including index funds tracking TOPIX, MSCI, and global indices. Directly comparable business model of managing Japanese-domiciled investment trusts sold through bank and securities distribution channels.
• Daiwa Asset Management: Daiwa Securities Group's asset management arm managing investment trusts and ETFs for Japanese retail. Directly comparable product mix including index funds and active strategies sold through Daiwa Securities and third-party distributors.
• Nikko Asset Management (Amova): SMBC-affiliated Japanese asset manager (renamed Amova in 2024) offering index and active investment trusts to retail investors through Japanese securities firms and banks. Comparable product lineup and distribution model.
• Monex Asset Management: Monex Group's asset management arm managing investment trusts distributed primarily through Monex Securities. Smaller but directly comparable niche player in Japanese online-broker-distributed funds.

Emerging players

• WealthNavi: Japan's leading robo-advisor with which Rakuten Investment Management has a partnership product (WealthNavi x Rakuten). Adjacent business model in automated, low-cost retail investment management; competes for similar digital-native retail investors.
• Trinity Securities (Trinity Asset Management): Niche Japanese asset manager focused on innovative fund products including multi-asset and alternative strategies. Comparable as a smaller, agile Japanese fund manager pursuing differentiated product offerings in a competitive market.

Broad incumbents

• BlackRock Japan: iShares ETF sponsor and global asset manager with substantial Japanese operations. Comparable in offering low-cost index products but operates at global scale with broader product portfolio beyond just Japanese retail funds.
• Vanguard Japan: Japanese arm of Vanguard that provides underlying ETFs for Rakuten Index Series. Direct strategic partner and a brand-level competitor in low-cost index investing, though Vanguard distributes directly rather than only via fund-of-funds wrappers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rakutentoushin
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_oYL7s30KB0lORqgnKKPdA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/____________

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 Rakuten Investment Management Co.