is an Internet company which is listed on the first section of the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...

. It is also the

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

of GMO Internet Group. The head office is located in Cerulean Tower in

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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.

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. It is a market leader for

domain name In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...

s and

web hosting A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that hosts websites for clients, i.e. it offers the facilities required for them to create and maintain a site and makes it accessible on the World Wide Web. Companies providing web ho ...

services in Japan. GMO Internet Group has 9 listed companies, including the head office itself. 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 Bitcoin (abbreviation: BTC; Currency symbol, sign: ₿) is the first Decentralized application, decentralized cryptocurrency. Based on a free-market ideology, bitcoin was invented in 2008 when an unknown entity published a white paper under ...

History

was established by Masatoshi Kumagai in May 1991. The multi-media company changed its name to in November 1995 and shifted its focus to the provision of Internet and service infrastructure. It changed its name again in April 2001 to and then again on June 1, 2005 to 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 Wizardry may refer to: * ''Wizardry'' (video game series), role-playing video game series, originally published by Sir-Tech ** '' Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord'', the first game of the series, released in 1981 * ''Wizardry'' (The ...

''. It was shut down and absorbed into GMO Internet on December 1, 2017. On October 29, 2020, Drecom announced they had acquired ''Wizardry'' from GMO Internet.

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) * Cryptocurrency (GMO Coin)

Group Companies

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

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 is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

for US$6.8 million. 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.

References

{{Authority control Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mass media companies based in Tokyo Holding companies based in Tokyo Mass media companies established in 1991 Japanese companies established in 1991 Holding companies established in 1991 Internet service providers of Japan Internet technology companies of Japan