Key Takeaways:
XRP ($XRP) pushed above the key $1.40 resistance level in early Asia trading after Rakuten Wallet officially integrated the asset, unlocking it for 44 million Japanese users and 5 million merchants.
The integration represents one of the largest retail deployments of XRP to date, according to Ripple's development arm, RippleX, giving the asset exposure to over 3 trillion loyalty points, equivalent to $23 billion.
The price of XRP climbed from $1.3840 to a high of $1.4065 on a sharp increase in volume, data from CoinGecko shows. The move comes as social media sentiment for the token reached a two-year high, reflecting increased confidence after the U.S. SEC classified XRP as a digital commodity earlier this year, removing legal uncertainties.
The key level for traders to watch is now $1.40. Holding above this pivot point keeps the breakout intact and shifts focus to the next resistance zone at $1.41–$1.42, while a failure would return it to its prior range.
Starting May 5, users of Rakuten Wallet in Japan can spot trade XRP and use it as a payment method at more than 5 million merchant locations nationwide. The core of the integration allows Rakuten's 44 million active Pay users to convert their loyalty points into XRP, creating a significant bridge between traditional rewards programs and digital asset utility. This development provides a substantial new use case for XRP within one of the world's largest e-commerce ecosystems.
The move is supported by a favorable regulatory environment. Earlier this year, the U.S. SEC's classification of XRP as a digital commodity eliminated a long-standing legal overhang, enabling smoother integrations with established financial platforms. This clarity, combined with ongoing progress on the CLARITY Act in the U.S. Senate, is fostering a more structured environment for digital assets. XRP's breakout is part of a broader altcoin rally, with Dogecoin ($DOGE) recently clearing its own resistance at $0.109 amid a market-wide bid led by Bitcoin's push through $80,000.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
