XRP taps 44 million Rakuten users as Japan loyalty points turn into crypto

Japanese crypto platform Rakuten Wallet has added XRP (XRP) as a listed asset and payment method, giving the token direct access to roughly 44 million Rakuten Pay users across Japan.

According to Coin Bureau on X, “Users can now buy XRP with Rakuten loyalty points and spend it across Japan’s expansive commerce ecosystem,” effectively wiring the cryptocurrency into one of the country’s largest consumer rails.

Rakuten Wallet, a subsidiary of e‑commerce giant Rakuten, said the integration will allow customers to purchase XRP, convert Rakuten Points into XRP, and then use that balance for payments via Rakuten’s existing checkout and QR‑code interfaces in stores and online.

By tying XRP to Rakuten Points, one of Japan’s most widely used loyalty currencies, the company is turning what was previously a closed rewards loop into a liquid crypto on‑ramp for everyday spending.

Rakuten’s broader ecosystem spans online marketplaces, financial services, mobile, and offline merchants, meaning XRP can now circulate across a network that touches millions of daily transactions in Japan.

This move follows years of incremental crypto experimentation by Japanese corporates, but stands out because it links a top‑three traded cryptocurrency by volume directly to a mainstream, non‑crypto user base via familiar loyalty rewards rather than dedicated trading apps.

For XRP, whose issuer Ripple has long pushed for cross‑border payments and institutional adoption, the Rakuten deal plugs the asset into a dense, domestic retail market where convenience and rewards often trump technical novelty.

It also underscores how loyalty programs and payment super‑apps in Asia can act as powerful distribution engines for digital assets: instead of onboarding users one KYC form at a time, platforms like Rakuten can flip a switch and expose tens of millions of existing accounts to a new token and use case overnight.