Summary
- Rakuten will support XRP payments through Rakuten Wallet, allowing users to convert about 3 trillion yen in reward points into XRP.
- The market is watching whether the Rakuten tie-up will lead to broader XRP usage and higher trading volume.
- Some market observers say that if XRP captures just 1%% of Rakuten’s annual payment volume, it could create about $400 million in transaction demand and raise the potential for greater price volatility.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Rakuten, one of Japan’s leading consumer platforms, is moving to add XRP to its payments infrastructure.
Crypto media outlet Finbold reported on April 14 that Rakuten will begin supporting XRP payments through its digital-asset platform, Rakuten Wallet, on April 15.
The integration will allow Rakuten users to convert about 3 trillion yen worth of reward points into XRP. The converted XRP can then be used for payments at more than 5 million merchants across Japan through Rakuten Pay.
Tatsuya Korogi, ecosystem growth lead at Ripple Labs, said Rakuten is one of Japan’s most trusted consumer brands. The integration of XRP into loyalty and payments infrastructure signals the direction of digital-asset adoption, he added.
Rakuten has a membership base of more than 100 million users and is reported to handle about $40 billion in gross merchandise value as of 2025. The market is watching whether the tie-up with such a large platform will expand XRP’s use cases and boost trading volume.
Some market observers say that even if XRP accounts for just 1% of Rakuten’s annual payment volume, it could generate about $400 million in transaction demand. That has also raised the prospect of deeper XRP liquidity and greater price volatility, particularly in Asia.
Minseung Kang
minriver@bloomingbit.ioBlockchain journalist | Writer of Trade Now & Altcoin Now, must-read content for investors.
