Japan’s Rakuten Securities launches MARKETSPEED II platform
After being delayed for about a month, the launch of the new platform is finally announced today.

Japanese online trading company Rakuten Securities, a subsidiary of Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755), today announces the launch of its new MARKETSPEED II trading platform.
The rollout has been delayed for about a month. Let’s recall that the platform was originally set to be released on September 30, 2018 but then the launch was rescheduled for October 14, 2018, and, after that, the launch was rescheduled again – this time for October 28, 2018. The company has explained that the delays reflect the need to improve and strengthen the functionalities of the platform in response to customers’ requests and comments. Today, the release is finally happening.
The new platform is downloadable and, for the time being, is available only for PCs. It works with Windows OS only. There are no versions for Mac computers or for smartphones (at least at this point).
The current MARKETSPEED service can still be used, the broker says. In fact, traders can use both platforms – the old and the new one, in case they wish to do so.
The new platform will initially offer trading in domestic stock only but the broker plans to expand the lineup in the future to include options, futures and US stock.
Regarding the enhancements the new platform will offer, these include higher speed of order execution, as well as faster speed of delivery of investment information.
Another of the promised improvements is the beefed up customization of the platform, as well as the enhanced interface which is said to have become more intuitive so that it is easy to understand by first-time users. Multiple displays, bolstered chart functionalities and more tech indicators are in store for traders.
There will be a wide range of advanced order types available to users of the new platform. These include order types like Iceberg orders and Sniper Orders. The Algo orders are set to be available only to users of MARKETSPEED II and not to users of other trading solutions offered by Rakuten Securities.