Key Takeaways:
- Rakuten Wallet enabled XRP conversions, trading, and Rakuten Cash funding for users in Japan.
- Scale comes from 44 million Rakuten Pay users and 5M+ merchants.
- Integration expands XRP utility across rewards, wallets, and everyday purchases.
Rakuten Wallet Links XRP to Loyalty Points and Payments
Rakuten Wallet has enabled XRP functionality, allowing users in Japan to convert loyalty points into the digital asset and use it for payments. The rollout connects XRP to one of the country’s largest consumer ecosystems, integrating trading and spending into a single platform. The move drew renewed attention on April 30, following comments from Ripple Senior Ecosystem Growth Manager Tatsuya Kohrogi outlining the Rakuten Wallet integration and its scale.
The integration combines loyalty rewards, trading, and payments within Rakuten’s existing infrastructure. Users can exchange Rakuten Points for XRP, execute spot trades in-app, and fund Rakuten Cash balances for purchases through Rakuten Pay across millions of locations. The scale is driven by Rakuten Pay’s 44 million users and more than 3 trillion points in circulation, valued at about $23 billion. Kohrogi highlighted the integration’s scale on April 30, pointing to its reach across more than 5 million merchant locations. He emphasized:
“With 44 million Rakuten Pay users and $23B in loyalty points now redeemable for XRP, this is one of the largest retail deployments of XRP as a payment method to date.”
This structure positions XRP as both a financial asset and a practical payment option within a widely used consumer platform.
XRP Deployment Expands Across Rakuten Pay Merchant Network
The system operates by linking Rakuten’s loyalty program with its wallet and payment services. That flow turns rewards into Rakuten Cash balances for purchases, creating a unified path between rewards, digital assets, and real-world transactions. The integration extends across more than 5 million merchants already accepting Rakuten Pay, embedding XRP into daily commerce. Kohrogi recently described the rollout as a major XRP milestone, stating that Rakuten Wallet had introduced XRP as both a listed asset and a payment method within its ecosystem.
The rollout highlights how digital assets can be embedded directly into established financial networks. XRP is now accessible within a mainstream environment, exposing it to users beyond traditional crypto audiences. Kohrogi said:
“Mainstream access at an extraordinary scale: Rakuten Pay has 44 million users.”
By linking loyalty value, trading functionality, and payments, Rakuten’s approach demonstrates a shift toward utility-driven adoption. The scale of the deployment underscores growing momentum for integrating crypto into everyday financial behavior.
