Key Takeaways:
- Rakuten Pay now supports XRP for its 44 million users.
- Users can buy, convert, and spend XRP at 5 million merchants.
- The integration could significantly boost XRP's daily transaction volume in Japan.
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Rakuten Pay adds XRP for 44 million users across Japan
Rakuten Pay has integrated XRP, granting 44 million users in Japan the ability to use the digital asset for payments across five million affiliated merchants starting April 14, 2026.
"This move makes XRP a viable payment method for millions of daily transactions, from convenience stores to supermarkets," a spokesperson for Rakuten said in the announcement.
The integration allows users of the Rakuten Pay app to directly buy, hold, and convert XRP alongside their fiat balances. The service is available at all merchants accepting Rakuten Pay, which includes a wide network of retail and online stores throughout Japan. This follows a similar, smaller-scale integration by SBI VC Trade, a rival Japanese exchange.
The decision by Rakuten, a major e-commerce and fintech player in Japan, could substantially increase XRP's daily utility and trading volume. This serves as a significant test case for cryptocurrency adoption in mainstream retail, potentially influencing other large payment providers in the region to consider similar integrations.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
