Rakuten
Securities Holdings announced today (Tuesday) it has invested in 24X US
Holdings, a Delaware-based fintech company developing what would become the
first 24-hour stock exchange in the United States.

The race
for first place could be especially fierce, particularly as Nasdaq has begun
discussions with regulators and is targeting a launch in the second half of
2026.

Rakuten Securities Backs
24X in Push for Round-the-Clock US Trading

The
investment positions Rakuten Securities to offer extended trading hours to its
Japanese customers and other international investors seeking access to US
markets during their local business hours. The move comes as global appetite
for US
technology stocks continues to drive demand for more flexible trading schedules.

24X
National Exchange, the wholly owned subsidiary of 24X US Holdings, received
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC ) approval in November 2024 to operate a
stock exchange offering 23 hours of daily trading on weekdays. The company
plans to launch its exchange operations later this year.

The
investment amount and ownership stake were not disclosed in Tuesday’s
announcement.

Growing International
Appetite

The
partnership addresses mounting pressure from international investors who want
to trade US stocks without being constrained by traditional New York trading
hours. Especially since the latest data show that Wall Street giants like Tesla
generate 80–90% of their gains outside
regular trading sessions.

Charles
Schwab is already
taking advantage of this trend by expanding trading hours to 24 hours a day
for retail clients on select instruments. Nasdaq, meanwhile, aims to go a step
further, transitioning
from a session that currently covers one-third of the day to a fully
around-the-clock market.

The New
York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is also targeting extended trading, aiming
for 22-hour sessions, a plan it first unveiled in October 2024.

Asian
investors, in particular, have voiced frustration over having to trade during
overnight hours in their local time zones. If the world’s largest exchanges
operated continuously, such issues would no longer arise. Of course,
liquidity remains a separate concern.

Rakuten
Securities has positioned itself as a pioneer in cross-border trading services.
In April 2020, it became the first major online broker in Japan to offer
combined domestic and US stock trading through a single smartphone application.
The company expanded this capability to its desktop platform in August 2022.

Expanding Digital
Infrastructure

The
Japanese broker has been building its digital trading infrastructure to capture
growing retail investor interest in international markets. In December 2024,
Rakuten Securities launched a stock lending service that allows customers to
earn interest income on their US stock holdings.

The company
also established the Japan Alternative Market in September 2024, a proprietary
trading system developed in partnership with other securities firms. Rakuten
Securities expects to create synergies between this domestic platform and 24X’s
extended-hours exchange.