Japan’s Rakuten Group has announced that Ripple’s XRP is now an official payment option within its Rakuten Pay app. This integration grants approximately 44 million users the ability to spend XRP at over 5 million registered merchants nationwide. The service, which will go live on April 15, also allows users to convert their Rakuten loyalty points, valued at close to $23 billion, into XRP. The move follows the platform’s existing support for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash, signaling broader cryptocurrency adoption by a major Japanese fintech firm.
The e-commerce and fintech firm Rakuten Group has announced Ripple’s native token XRP as an official payment option. This provides access for 44 million users to pay for products using the cryptocurrency across 5 million registered merchants.
Users can load and spend XRP through the Rakuten Pay app and also spot trade or store the tokens in their Rakuten Wallet. The company stated that users will be allowed to convert their loyalty balance into XRP for everyday purposes. The overall value of Rakuten’s loyalty program is close to $23 billion with more than 3 trillion points in circulation.
The Rakuten XRP services are scheduled to go live from April 15 onwards. This integration reflects broader confidence in the leading altcoin and signals a meaningful shift toward digital assets in Japan.
The move follows institutional support for XRP through ETFs from players like BlackRock, Bitwise, Canary, and Franklin. Rakuten had previously integrated Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash as payment options in 2023.
