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Native name | GMOインターネットグループ株式会社 |
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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 |
| 9449 (TYO) | |
| Industry | Information and Communication |
| Founded | 24 May 1991 |
| Founder | Masatoshi Kumagai |
| Headquarters | , |
| 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) |
| JPY8.0 billion (2017) | |
Number of employees | 5,454 (2018) |
| Website | https://www.gmo.jp/en/ |
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 theTokyo Stock Exchange.[1] It is also theholding company of GMO Internet Group. The head office is located inCerulean Tower inShibuya,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]
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 fordomain names andweb hosting services in Japan.[4] GMO Internet Group has 9listed 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 inbitcoin.[6]
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 tointerQ 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 toGlobal 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 toGMO 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 acquiredGamepot, an online game company that ownedWizardry. It was shut down and absorbed into GMO Internet on December 1, 2017.[8][9] On October 29, 2020,Drecom announced they had acquiredWizardry from GMO Internet.[10]
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 Financial Services
Cryptocurrency
Others
In 2014, GMO Internet Group made headlines when it bought the Z.com domain name fromNissan 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]
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