Rakuten buying Ebates for US$1b

RAKUTEN, the e-commerce giant that acquired Singapore video startup Viki a year ago for US$200 million (the biggest known buyout for a startup here), on Tuesday announced its newest acquisition as part of plans to expand its digital offerings beyond home country Japan.

This time, it will be buying San Francisco-based Ebates, a shopping website that rewards shoppers with cash back on purchases and provides them with access to coupons, promotions and special deals, at more than 1,700 retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Macy's.

The acquisition amount is US$1 billion, slightly higher than the US$900 million it paid for Cyprus-based free-messaging platform Viber in February this year.