Ariba Announces Japanese Joint Venture With SOFTBANK GROUP

Ariba’s Leadership in Japan is Extended With First Japanese B2B eCommerce Joint Venture

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Oct. 19, 2000--Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the leading business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce platform and network services provider today announced a joint venture with SOFTBANK CORP. and SOFTBANK E-COMMERCE CORP., a wholly owned subsidiary of SOFTBANK CORP. (Tokyo Stock Exchange 9984).

Under the terms of the agreement, SOFTBANK Group will take a significant equity position in Nihon Ariba KK with certain revenue commitments over the next three years. Building on Ariba’s success, Nihon Ariba KK will distribute the complete Ariba B2B Commerce Platform including Ariba Buyer, Ariba Marketplace, Ariba Dynamic Trade, and Ariba Sourcing as well as extend the Ariba Commerce Services Network (Ariba CSN) to the Japanese market.

In addition, In addition, SOFTBANK has selected the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform for four major strategic projects

• SOFTBANK plans to use the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform to to develop a private exchange to better manage its internal procurement and gain global economies of scale.;

• SOFTBANK plans to also create a horizontal public marketplace targeted to to provide opportunities to fully automate the eCommerce needs of its 450 portfolio companies;

• SOFTBANK plans as to establish 10 vertical exchanges in the Japanese market that will serve major Japanese industries.

• SOFTBANK, in partnership with Ariba, plans to create a network of commerce services specifically designed for the Japanese market.

“The Japanese eCommerce market is on the verge of taking off, and this joint venture brings together the largest B2B eCommerce companies in Japan and the US to establish the defacto standard for B2B eCommerce in Japan.” said Larry Mueller, president and COO of Ariba. “Ariba and SOFTBANK, with its extensive portfolio of companies, solid business relationships, and market leadership in the Japanese technology distribution arena, will lead the B2B revolution in Japan by optimizing the effectiveness of procurement operations of Japanese companies and globalizing their access to suppliers and potential points of sale.”

The investment by SOFTBANK in Tokyo-based Nihon Ariba KK is critical to achieving Ariba’s rapid growth goals in Japan, the second largest global economy. The Japanese eCommerce market was estimated at $190 billion dollars in 2000 and is projected to expand to a total value of $680 billion dollars by 2003 (Japan-U.S. Electronic Commerce Market Survey, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, 1999).

“Ariba is the clear global B2B leader with its proven execution, best-of-breed B2B eCommerce solutions, and blue chip customer base,” said Masayoshi Son, president and CEO of SOFTBANK CORP. “This is the first B2B venture of its kind in Japan which will jump start Ariba’s technology adoption in this market. We are confident that we can duplicate Ariba’s success in Japan.”

The Ariba B2B Commerce Platform, including Ariba Buyer, Ariba Marketplace, Ariba Dynamic Trade, and Ariba CSN, helps companies realize greater economies of scale and commerce process efficiencies, resulting in lower costs and competitive advantage.

All Ariba B2B Commerce Platform customers have instant access to over 30,000 suppliers worldwide through the Ariba CSN allowing for transparent collaboration between buyers and suppliers. Ariba CSN is Ariba’s network infrastructure for delivering commerce services to companies in the B2B ecosystem. These open services extend and redefine interaction and collaboration between B2B trading partners globally and include directory and registration services, transaction management, catalog services, content delivery and discovery services, financial services, sourcing services, and logistics and supply chain management.

About SOFTBANK

The SOFTBANK family of Group companies is contributing to the development of Internet business around the world, as demonstrated by the following partial list of SOFTBANK and its subsidiaries in the U.S., Japan and Asia.

SOFTBANK CORP. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 9984) is one of the world’s Internet leaders. Through its ownership positions in more than 450 Internet companies and its unique, global approach to building Internet enterprises, it is able to realize unprecedented synergies among its group of companies. In the U.S., SOFTBANK is the largest shareholder in leading Internet companies including Yahoo! and E*TRADE. In Japan, SOFTBANK’s activities encompass online financial services, e-commerce, online media and marketing services, e-business solutions, and joint ventures with industry leaders including Microsoft, Cisco, Yahoo!, and The National Association of Security Dealers (NASD). SOFTBANK has established Internet joint ventures with Vivendi in Europe and with News Corp. in the U.K., India, Australia, and New Zealand; is building Internet ventures in Greater China, Latin America, and Korea; and is joining with the World Bank to help bridge the digital divide in emerging markets worldwide.

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce platform provider. Through the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform - an open, end-to-end infrastructure of interoperable software solutions and hosted Web-based commerce services - the company enables efficient online trade, integration and collaboration between B2B marketplaces, buyers, suppliers and commerce service providers. The global reach and best-of-breed functionality of the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform create Internet-driven economies of scale and process efficiencies for leading companies around the world.

Ariba and the Ariba logo are registered trademarks of Ariba, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. Ariba B2B Commerce Platform, Ariba Buyer, Ariba Marketplace, Ariba Dynamic Trade and Ariba Commerce Services Network are trademarks of Ariba Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

Information in this release may involve expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to Ariba as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. The statements in this release are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences. Some of the factors and risks associated with Ariba’s business are discussed in its registration statement on Form S-1 declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” ) on June 22, 1999, and in the other reports filed by it from time to time with the SEC. Some of the factors and risks associated with Ariba’s business are discussed in its Annual Report on Form 10K, Quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in the other reports filed by it from time to time with the SEC.