Rakuten Optimism 2021: Business Leaders and Luminaries from Around the World Converge for Large-Scale Online Business Conference on October 12 and 13

Tokyo, August 18, 2021 - Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced that Rakuten Optimism 2021, on track to become the largest business conference in the history of the Rakuten Group, will be live-streamed around the world on October 12 and 13. Participation is free of charge. The Rakuten Optimism official site opened for registrations*1 today.  https://optimism.rakuten.co.jp/en

Rakuten Optimism is an event series designed to inspire visions of a shared brighter future, provide opportunities to discover joy, and deepen the understanding of the services and ideals underpinning the Rakuten Group Ecosystem. The first-ever Rakuten Optimism conference held in Japan played host to approximately 80,000 guests in Yokohama from July 31 to August 3, 2019.

This year’s online format leverages the New Normal to not only prevent the spread of COVID-19 but also welcome speakers and guests from around the world, providing participants with a broad-ranging and engaging experience featuring top CEOs, thought leaders and creators. The virtual business conference highlights a wide range of themes including mobile, e-commerce, fintech and marketing, covering the full breadth of Rakuten's expansive ecosystem. Rakuten Optimism 2021 welcomes many of the world’s top luminaries and business leaders to reflect on the myriad ways in which the world is changing around us, and how our lives can be enriched as a result.

Rakuten seeks to pursue lasting change that enriches and empowers society by challenging established thinking. With Rakuten Optimism 2021, the Group aims to expand the visions on the horizon for the potential of future technology. It will offer participants opportunities to discover new ideas and gain fresh perspectives, while looking ahead with optimism to an even brighter future.

*1 Participants must register for this event in order to view the business conference sessions. Please visit the Rakuten Optimism 2021 official site (https://optimism.rakuten.co.jp/en) for details on how to register.

Event Overview
Event name: Rakuten Optimism 2021
Date: Tuesday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 13, Japan Standard Time
Location/Format: Online business conference (accessible worldwide)
Cost: Free (Registration required)
Hosted by: Rakuten Group, Inc.
Official site: https://optimism.rakuten.co.jp/en
Register here: https://optimism.rakuten.co.jp/2021/registration/
*Registration available on official site.

Selection of featured speakers (As of August 18, 2021)
・Julie Sweet, Chief Executive Officer of Accenture
・Hiroya Masuda, Director and Representative Executive Officer, President & Group CEO of Japan Post Holdings
・Cristiano R. Amon, President & CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated
・Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corporation
・Eric S. Yuan, Founder & CEO of Zoom Video Communications
・Kashiwa Sato, Creative Director of Samurai Inc.
・Yugo Nakamura, Interface Designer of tha ltd. CEO
・Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President of Security, Compliance & Identity (SCI) Business Development of Microsoft
・Anthony Grieco, VP, Chief Information Security Officer, Security and Trust Organization of Cisco Systems
・Koichi Narasaki, Chief Digital Officer and Digital Business Unit CEO of SOMPO Holdings, CEO of Palantir Technologies Japan
・Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Group

*All speakers and program information contained in this press release are accurate at the time of release and are subject to change in the future. A detailed time schedule and addition information will be updated regularly on the Rakuten Optimism 2021 official site.