XRP Could See Fresh Demand As Japan’s Rakuten Unlocks Loyalty Point Conversions
Japan’s crypto tax overhaul might quickly make Rakuten’s new XRP characteristic way more engaging. Policymakers are reviewing a proposal to slash capital features charges on digital belongings from 55% to twenty% — a change that might dramatically alter how Japanese customers take into consideration holding and spending cryptocurrency.
Everyday Shopping, Now With Crypto
Rakuten Wallet launched a characteristic this week letting customers in Japan swap their Rakuten Points straight into XRP. From there, these tokens might be traded contained in the app or spent at over 5 million service provider places by Rakuten Pay.
The rollout brings XRP into one in all Japan’s largest retail fee networks — not a crypto alternate, not a distinct segment fintech app, however the identical platform hundreds of thousands of Japanese customers already use to buy, pay payments, and accumulate rewards.
— Tats (@tatsuya_kohrogi) April 13, 2026
The numbers behind the program are laborious to disregard. Rakuten’s loyalty ecosystem holds greater than 3 trillion factors, valued at roughly $23 billion. Some 44 million Rakuten Pay customers are actually inside attain of the characteristic.
Ripple’s senior ecosystem progress supervisor Tatsuya Kohrogi mentioned the importance lies within the viewers: most of those customers have by no means engaged with crypto in any respect.
Starting at this time, @Rakuten_Wallet customers in Japan can convert @Rakuten Points into XRP, spot commerce in-app, and spend throughout 5M+ service provider places.
With 44 million Rakuten Pay customers and $23B in loyalty factors now redeemable for XRP, this is among the largest retail deployments… pic.twitter.com/P7I52bGjVL
— RippleX (@RippleXDev) April 30, 2026
XRP Social Sentiment Up
Rakuten operates throughout e-commerce, banking, and telecommunications in Japan, processing trillions of yen in transactions annually.
That attain is what makes this integration uncommon. Most crypto fee initiatives goal individuals already contained in the ecosystem. This one begins with people who find themselves merely shopping for groceries or incomes factors on an internet buy.
RippleX confirmed the rollout on X, saying customers can now convert factors into XRP, commerce in-app, and spend throughout the service provider community.
Reports point out social sentiment for XRP in Japan has climbed to its second-highest level in two years because the information broke.
Long-Term Adoption Carries More Weight Than The Buzz
Analysts warning that value motion might lag behind the keenness. Data exhibits sentiment spikes don’t all the time translate into instant valuation adjustments — what issues extra is whether or not customers preserve partaking with XRP after the preliminary novelty fades.
Ripple has been constructing its footprint in Japan since 2016, when SBI Group started supporting XRP-based cross-border transfers.
The firm can be planning to roll out its RLUSD stablecoin by platforms within the nation. As of writing, XRP was buying and selling at $1.36, up about 3.25% over the previous month.
Featured picture from Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Zuma Press, chart from TradingView

