Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images
shares of Mizuho Financial Group It fell as much as 7.7% on Monday after the Japanese lender revealed it had not yet decided to invest. rakuten bank.
The clarification came after the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday that Mizuho was planning to make additional investments in major online banks, citing sources.
Mizuho currently holds a 14.99% stake in Rakuten Card Co., Ltd., the credit card and financial services division of the Japanese e-commerce and internet services giant. rakuten group.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Mizuho plans to sell its stake in Rakuten Card and invest in Rakuten Bank instead.
Mizuho said it is considering various options “including the possibility of investing in Rakuten Bank” but has not yet made a decision.
The paper also reported that Mizuho Securities’ 49% stake in Rakuten Securities remains unchanged.
mizuho stock
Analysts are keeping an eye on what Mizuho may announce regarding Rakuten Bank in the future.
“Currently, Rakuten Group’s (FinTech) division is undergoing restructuring, which is expected to be completed in October 2026, and banks, cards, and securities will be reorganized into the same group,” Jefferies analysts said.
Analysts at Jefferies added that the worst-case scenario for Rakuten Bank would be to overpay its securities and cards divisions, but that could be avoided if Mizuho Bank intervened directly.
The news comes as Mizuho posted a 660% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter profits. Net profit jumped to 228.7 billion yen ($1.44 billion) for the quarter ended March from 30.1 billion yen a year earlier, due to factors including strong growth in the fee business and the central bank’s policy rate hike.
Mizuho shares last traded down 7.2%, while Rakuten Bank rose more than 8%.
