Japanese Giant Rakuten Turns Loyalty Points Into XRP Payments

Rakuten Wallet now allows users in Japan to convert Rakuten Points into XRP, linking one of the country’s largest loyalty programs with cryptocurrency payments. The feature lets users trade XRP in-app and spend it through Rakuten Pay at more than five million merchant locations, extending the token’s use in everyday transactions.

RippleX confirmed the rollout on X, stating, “Rakuten Wallet users in Japan can convert Rakuten Points into XRP, spot trade in-app, and spend across 5M+ merchant locations.” The integration taps into 44 million Rakuten Pay users and $23 billion in redeemable points, positioning XRP as a practical payment method in one of Japan’s largest retail ecosystems.

https://twitter.com/RippleXDev/status/2049655085068697800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener

XRP enters Japan’s retail economy

Rakuten, one of Japan’s largest digital ecosystem operators spanning e-commerce, banking, and telecommunications, is expanding its cryptocurrency offering through its loyalty and payments network.

The company’s rewards system, which holds more than three trillion points valued at approximately $23 billion, will allow users to convert points into XRP and use the token within Rakuten’s payments ecosystem. The group also processes trillions of yen in annual e-commerce transactions, highlighting the scale of its consumer platform.

Tatsuya Kohrogi, Ripple’s Senior Ecosystem Growth Manager, said earlier, “Rakuten Pay isn’t a crypto-native app—it’s Japan’s everyday commerce platform. This puts XRP in front of people who have never even thought about crypto before.”

https://twitter.com/tatsuya_kohrogi/status/2043717542297116688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener

Market impact and future outlook

According to Santiment data, social sentiment for XRP in Japan has surged to its second-highest level in two years following the integration, though analysts say price action may not respond immediately. They add that sustained adoption, rather than short-term sentiment shifts, is typically a stronger driver of longer-term valuation trends.

The timing of Rakuten’s move is also strategic. The Japanese government is currently considering changes to its crypto tax framework, with policymakers reviewing proposals that could lower capital gains rates on digital assets from 55% to 20%. The review forms part of broader regulatory adjustments affecting the digital asset sector.

Moreover, Ripple is steadily increasing its influence in Japan through the partnerships that it has made in the country. Since 2016, the SBI Group has been providing support for XRP-based services, such as cross-border money transfers. In addition, Ripple is planning to launch their RLUSD coin via platforms in the country.

Meanwhile, as of writing, XRP was trading at $1.36, seeing a modest 3.34% increase over the past month as per CoinMarketCap data. 

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