XRP Now Accessible to 44 Million Rakuten Users Across 5 Million Stores in Japan
Published April 15, 2026 – By Sam Daodu
Japan’s leading e-commerce and financial services giant, Rakuten, has officially integrated XRP — Ripple’s prominent cryptocurrency — into its expansive payment ecosystem. Beginning April 15, over 44 million active Rakuten users can now buy, hold, and spend XRP across more than 5 million stores nationwide through Rakuten Pay, the company’s popular payment application.
XRP Spot Trading and Rakuten Pay Integration
Rakuten Wallet, the company’s crypto trading platform, listed XRP alongside Stellar, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and Toncoin on April 15 for spot trading. However, XRP stands out by securing a unique integration directly with Rakuten Pay, enabling a smooth user experience for spending cryptocurrency at physical and online retailers throughout Japan.
With this setup, users can convert Rakuten Points, a widely-used loyalty currency, into XRP, store it in their Rakuten Wallet, and seamlessly exchange it back into Rakuten Cash to make purchases. Although transactions do not involve merchants accepting XRP directly — as each XRP payment converts back to Japanese yen — customers effectively spend cryptocurrency using Rakuten’s versatile platform.
Rakuten Points: A Massive Loyalty Ecosystem
Rakuten’s loyalty program operates at an impressive scale, with over 3 trillion Rakuten Points in circulation, representing approximately $23 billion in value. This volume dwarfs existing U.S. XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) holdings, which total around $1.2 billion. The ability to convert these points into XRP presents significant potential buying pressure on the token, depending on user adoption rates.
Despite the vast availability of points, most users will likely continue spending their rewards in traditional ways, such as shopping or travel bookings. Nevertheless, Rakuten’s current promotional campaign, offering up to ¥100,000 (roughly $630) in XRP rewards for qualifying purchases through May 15, 2026, aims to encourage early engagement and incentivize users to try XRP spending.
Future Rakuten Bank Integration
Looking ahead, Rakuten announced plans to integrate Rakuten Wallet with Rakuten Bank by the third quarter of 2026. This integration could enable direct fiat-to-XRP conversion for approximately 17 million banking customers, simplifying cryptocurrency accessibility beyond the loyalty points system. Such a development would represent another major milestone in legitimizing everyday crypto use in Japan.
Impact of Japan’s Crypto Capital Gains Tax Reform
Complementing Rakuten’s integration moves, the Japanese government recently enacted legislation sharply reducing taxes on cryptocurrency capital gains—from rates as high as 55% to a uniform 20%, aligning crypto tax treatment with stock investments. This reform, approved on April 10, 2026, could encourage both casual and serious XRP holders to retain and use their cryptocurrency holdings without facing prohibitive tax burdens.
If this tax structure coincides effectively with Rakuten’s payment integration timeline, XRP holders in Japan stand to benefit substantially. They would retain 80 cents of every dollar gained rather than 45 cents under the prior regime, potentially transforming Rakuten’s user base from casual loyalty points spenders to long-term crypto investors.
XRP’s Unique Position at Rakuten
Rakuten’s support for cryptocurrencies is not new; since 2023, users have been able to pay with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash through Rakuten Pay. However, XRP is the first token integrated at Rakuten’s scale, achieving reach across millions of active users and merchant locations.
Though this integration was a Rakuten-driven initiative rather than an official Ripple partnership, Ripple’s senior ecosystem growth manager, Tatsuya Kohrogi, acknowledged the significance of this milestone on social media, noting its potential impact on XRP’s global adoption.
Conclusion: A Potential Watershed Moment for XRP in Japan
The availability of XRP to 44 million Rakuten users with instant spending capabilities at over 5 million stores coupled with Japan’s favorable tax reforms sets a promising stage for accelerated adoption. While immediate massive shifts in user behavior are uncertain, the combined power of Rakuten’s immense user and loyalty points base, alongside tax incentives, positions XRP for new growth opportunities within Japan’s dynamic crypto landscape.
About the Author:
Sam Daodu is a cryptocurrency analyst and writer with nearly a decade of experience demystifying blockchain and digital assets. He currently covers crypto market trends and developments for 24/7 Wall St., with prior contributions to leading media outlets such as CoinTelegraph, Yahoo Finance, and The Block.
Sources: 24/7 Wall St., Rakuten public announcements, Japanese government financial regulations.