Altcoins News
By Maheen Hernandez
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Why This Rollout Hits Different. Japan has been ahead on crypto regulation for years.
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What Users Can Actually Do. Here's the breakdown. You open the Rakuten Wallet app. You've got Rakuten Points sitting there.
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Broader Implications for Crypto Adoption. Rakuten's move could push other Japanese companies to follow.
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Rakuten Wallet just flipped the switch on XRP. Users can now spend the token at over 5 million merchant locations across Japan through the Rakuten Pay network.
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The wallet app now lets people convert their Rakuten Points—the loyalty currency that pretty much every Japanese shopper has—straight into XRP.
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Rakuten didn't just add XRP as a trading option. It wired the token into its entire payment infrastructure. That's the part that matters.
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Japan has been ahead on crypto regulation for years. The country recognized Bitcoin as legal tender back in 2017, and exchanges operate under strict licensing rules.
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The size of the merchant network is wild. Rakuten Pay covers everything from convenience stores to restaurants to online retailers.
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Merchants get a boost too. More payment options usually mean more foot traffic. And for businesses already plugged into Rakuten's ecosystem, there's no extra friction.
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Read also: Rakuten Wallet Lets 44 Million Users Convert Loyalty Points to XRP, Sentiment Hits Two-Year High
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The app also supports direct XRP trading. So if you want to buy more, sell some, or just hold, it's all in one place.
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Ripple's involvement isn't surprising. The company has been pushing XRP adoption in Asia for years, and Japan has been a key market.
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Rakuten's move could push other Japanese companies to follow. The country's e-commerce and fintech sectors are competitive, and nobody wants to fall behind on payment innovation.
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The integration is still rolling out, so user feedback and merchant data aren't fully available yet. But the infrastructure is live.
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Related: XRP Las Vegas Attendees Hit by Wave of AI-Powered Impersonation Scams
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