XRP goes mainstream in Japan with Rakuten integration
Rakuten Wallet has officially launched XRP spot trading and real-world payment functionalities.
Cryptocurrency adoption in Japan has taken a significant leap forward as Rakuten Wallet officially rolls out XRP spot trading and payment functionalities. Starting today, users of Rakuten Wallet in Japan can convert their Rakuten loyalty points into XRP.
It is now possible to spot trade the asset in-app or spend it as a payment method across more than 5 million merchant locations nationwide.
Ripple’s development arm, RippleX, has noted that the integration is one of the largest retail deployments of XRP to date.
XRP will be able to gain exposure to an enormous consumer base of 44 million active Rakuten Pay users. The broader Rakuten ecosystem currently has over 3 trillion loyalty points in circulation. This equates to a staggering $23 billion in points that are now fully redeemable for XRP.
CLARITY Act finalized
U.S. lawmakers have reached a breakthrough on stablecoin yield rules within the CLARITY Act, clearing a key hurdle toward advancing comprehensive crypto regulation.
Cryptocurrency regulation in the United States is entering a more structured phase, as lawmakers move to resolve key gaps in legislation and shift away from years of fragmented oversight driven by enforcement actions.
A new development reported by Punchbowl News shows Senate negotiators have reached an agreement on stablecoin yield language within the proposed CLARITY Act, addressing one of the most contentious issues holding back progress.
The stablecoin yield compromise signals growing alignment between policymakers and industry concerns. By closing one of the most debated loopholes in existing legislation, it brings the U.S. closer to a comprehensive regulatory system.
While key provisions are still under negotiation, the direction is increasingly clear: digital assets are being integrated into formal financial regulation, with defined rules replacing uncertainty.
Shiba Inu delivers strongest monthly return in April
Shiba Inu has extended the positive momentum seen in March to April as it has closed the month with the highest return recorded so far in 2026.
Shiba Inu concluded the last month on a positive note as it has just posted another positive monthly return for the second time this year.
After seeing frequent price rallies in the past week, Shiba Inu has delivered the strongest performance seen this year in April, posting a decent gain of 4.74%, according to data from CryptoRank.
This comes after the leading meme token eventually broke the long 7-month streak of steady declines in March. The asset continued to see persisting monthly losses ranging from -1.58% to -17.6% between August 2023 and February 2024.
However, it eventually recovered in March when it posted a decent gain of 2.72%. This positive momentum has extended to April as the 4.74% gain seen this month marks the highest return achieved so far in 2024.
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