Key Takeaways
Rakuten Wallet enabled XRP payments and trading for its 44 million users in Japan, integrating a $23 billion loyalty point system with the digital asset.
The new features went live on April 30, according to an official announcement from Rakuten Wallet, allowing users to convert points, trade, and pay from a single interface. RippleX, the developer arm of Ripple, called it one of the largest retail deployments of XRP to date in a post on X. The integration is underpinned by Rakuten Wallet's status as a licensed crypto exchange under Japan’s Financial Services Agency.
The integration allows Rakuten’s 3 trillion loyalty points, valued at approximately $23 billion, to be converted directly into XRP. The converted crypto can then be spent through the Rakuten Pay app across a network of more than 5 million merchant locations, including convenience stores and restaurants, with no new hardware required for retailers.
While the integration provides XRP with significant utility in one of the world's most crypto-forward markets, social sentiment metrics suggest caution. The price of XRP held near $1.40, but data from Santiment shows crowd excitement reaching a two-year high, a "FOMO zone" that has historically preceded price corrections.
The announcement triggered the second-most bullish social sentiment for XRP in two years, according to Santiment. The analytics firm cautioned that such events "rarely produce immediate significant price movements," with valuation shifts often materializing after the initial enthusiasm subsides. A similar sentiment spike on March 19 was followed by a sharp pullback in XRP's price.
From a technical perspective, XRP has been trading within a symmetrical triangle pattern for three months. A confirmed daily close above the $1.45 level would be needed to target further upside, with resistance near the 100-day exponential moving average of $1.52. The critical support zone remains at $1.40, and a break below could initiate a decline toward lower support levels. The news comes as spot XRP exchange-traded funds registered over $83 million in net inflows for April, the strongest monthly performance since December 2025, according to SoSoValue data.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
