Japan's Rakuten to invest Rs. 845 crore (US$ 100 million) in India, increase hiring: India unit Chief Executive Officer

Japan's Rakuten plans to invest at least Rs. 845 crore (US$ 100 million) in India this year, aiming to bolster its global operations. Chief Executive Officer of Rakuten India, Mr. Sunil Gopinath, stated that the company will scale up technology, infrastructure, and hiring. However, he did not specify the exact investment amount. Rakuten, which operates across fintech, e-commerce, and telecom sectors, is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance various aspects of its business, including business tools, customer experience, and employee productivity. The company employs 4,000 people in India, 90% being tech staff, and is actively seeking AI-savvy talent to strengthen its operations further. 

Rakuten's India Global Capability Centre (GCC) is critical in developing key products like Rakuten Pay and the SixthSense platform, which monitor system health and predict potential issues. Mr. Sunil Gopinath described SixthSense as a tool capable of forecasting problems before they arise, similar to Sherlock Holmes' investigative methods. The platform serves many clients, including banks, healthcare firms, airlines, and the Indian government. Through AI initiatives, Rakuten reported a profit of Rs. 622 crore (US$ 73.62 million) in FY24 and aims to double this figure in FY25. The company operates over 50% of its global businesses through its India GCC, with offices in several locations, including two centres in Bengaluru. According to a report by Nasscom and Zinnov, India's GCC market is projected to reach Rs. 8,87,670 crore (US$ 105 billion) by FY30, up from Rs. 5,46,128.4 crore (US$ 64.6 billion) in 2024. 

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