Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is adding XRP to its Rakuten Pay app, enabling 44 million users to use the cryptocurrency as a payment method at more than 5 million merchant locations across Japan.
Starting April 15, users can also spot trade XRP through the app and hold the token in their Rakuten Wallet. The integration allows customers to purchase XRP using Rakuten Points, part of the company's massive loyalty ecosystem.
Expanding digital asset utility
Tatsuya Kohrogi, Ripple’s senior ecosystem growth manager, announced the update via X on Tuesday. He noted that the move connects XRP to one of Japan’s largest loyalty systems, which currently has more than 3 trillion points—valued at approximately $23 billion—in circulation.
"Starting April 15, Rakuten Wallet will launch XRP as both a listed asset and a payment method," Kohrogi said. He added that users can buy XRP directly with Rakuten Points and use XRP to fund their Rakuten Cash for transactions at millions of locations.
Kohrogi described the development as "one of the most significant XRP milestones." He also noted that Rakuten's status as a trusted consumer brand provides a powerful signal for the direction of digital asset adoption.
This expansion follows Rakuten's previous moves into the crypto space. The company began allowing users to spend Bitcoin, Ether, and Bitcoin Cash in 2023. In 2021, the firm also announced the launch of its own Rakuten Coin to bolster its rewards system.