Mercari Group, a leading e-commerce company in Japan, inaugurated a new office in Bangalore, India, as part of its strategic expansion.

The new office in Bangalore, known as the Global Center of Excellence (GCoE), signifies the expansion plan and will accommodate a workforce double its current size of 40.

The CoE in India has played a pivotal role in supporting the group's operations in Japan. Collaborating closely with the Japanese development team, which consists of members from over 50 countries worldwide, Mercari India fosters an environment of cross-functional teamwork and knowledge-sharing.

During the inauguration ceremony, Ken Wakasa, VP & Group CTO of Mercari Group, said, "Today marks a remarkable milestone in Mercari's journey as we expand our footprint in India. The inauguration of our new Center of Excellence underscores Mercari's commitment to nurturing innovation and technical expertise on a global scale. With our growing team of talented professionals in India, we are ideally positioned to drive technological breakthroughs and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers worldwide."

Vish Magapu, Senior Director and Site Lead of Mercari India, also expressed, "We are thrilled to commemorate the successful journey of Mercari India's Center of Excellence. Over the past year, our team of highly skilled tech talents has played a pivotal role in driving innovation and enabling Mercari's growth. Our objective is to establish Mercari as a global tech powerhouse by leveraging India's diverse talent pool. Mercari strongly believes in India's potential to create new innovations. Our India CoE is committed to developing applications for Mercari Japan, reinforcing our dedication to delivering seamless user experiences worldwide."

The GCoE in Bangalore reflects the Group’s dedication to making India its global innovation center. As the first Center of Excellence for the Mercari group, it has bridged the gap with innovation and tech skills to connect both nations. The group envisions doubling the workforce at the Mercari India office, with specialised teams across backend, mobile development, infrastructure, and other functions. This team will strengthen the company's engineering workforce and simultaneously promote diversity and inclusivity within the CoE.

The e-commerce platform boasts a user base of over 22 million in Japan. With India's expansion, it aims to build a strong ecosystem where value circulates while developing financial and crypto services based on an e-commerce-type platform. It is Japan’s largest community-powered marketplace with close to JPY 1 trillion yearly gross merchandise value (GMV).