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. It is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, and the largest in Asia. It had 2,292 listed ...

. It is also the

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

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

Shibuya Shibuya (wikt:渋谷, 渋谷wikt:区, 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan.

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

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 we ...

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.

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'' is a series of role-playing video games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were highly influential in the evolution of modern role-playing video games. The original ''Wizardry'' was a significant influence on early console role-playing ...

''. It was shut down and absorbed into GMO Internet on December 1, 2017. Kumagai is now among the wealthiest in Japan with an estimated net worth of more than $1 billion as of June 2020.

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 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