Viber’s owner, the Japanese corporation Rakuten Group, has opened an office in Kyiv and plans to become a resident of Diia.City.
Three Rakuten divisions – Rakuten Viber, Rakuten Advertising, and Rakuten Rewards – already have development and marketing teams in Kyiv and Odesa. The opening of the Kyiv office will allow these teams to work together and lead to the hiring of new specialists in the technology sector and the appointment of a regional manager.
The idea of opening an office in Kyiv came up during a visit by Rakuten’s Chairman and CEO, Hiroshi Mikitani, who accompanied Japanese officials during their visit to Ukraine in September 2023. During that visit, he represented the Japanese private sector. He met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
Soon, the Rakuten Viber digital wallet service will be launched in Ukraine, allowing Viber users to perform instant transactions securely to send money to and from the country.
