Rakuten opens XRP payments today: 44 million users can spend Ripple at 5 million merchants, integrating into a $23 billion points ecosystem.

Rakuten, Japan’s leading e-commerce giant (Rakuten), today (4/15) officially enabled XRP payments on Rakuten Pay, allowing 44 million users to reload XRP as Rakuten Cash and spend directly at more than 5 million stores across Japan—this is the largest real-world payment integration for XRP to date, but Ripple has not publicly confirmed it so far; Rakuten has framed it as an independent decision.
(Background: XRP surpasses USDT to become the 3rd largest token » Ripple CEO bullish on an XRP ETF launching by the end of this year, not ruling out an IPO)
(Additional context: The veteran public blockchain XRP is seeing a revival—how far can it go in the future?)

Table of Contents

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• Four-step process: from points to payment seamlessly
• Rakuten chooses XRP: BTC and ETH are already there—why add it specifically?
• The leap from “exchange token” to “payment tool”

Starting today, you can pay for coffee at Japanese convenience stores directly with XRP.

According to CoinDesk, Rakuten officially launched XRP payment functionality on the Rakuten Pay app today (April 15, 2026), with coverage directly reaching 44 million users, as well as more than 5 million merchants nationwide in Japan that accept Rakuten Pay. In other words, from today on, XRP is no longer just a trading asset inside exchanges—it is a real payment tool that can circulate in the physical world.

Four-step process: from points to payment seamlessly

The logic behind this integration is quite comprehensive. Users can purchase XRP directly with Rakuten Points (Rakuten points), or carry out XRP spot trading within the app; the XRP they hold is stored in Rakuten Wallet; finally, they can reload XRP into Rakuten Cash and make card payments at more than 5 million merchants across Japan.

In terms of scale, in the history of crypto payment applications, it’s almost impossible to find a matching equivalent. Rakuten’s points ecosystem exceeds 3 trillion points, which is roughly equivalent to a current value of about $23 billion—this volume now directly connects with XRP.

The news was first announced on X by Ripple Senior Ecosystem Growth Manager Tatsuya Kohrogi on Tuesday. He described it as “one of the most important milestones for XRP,” and noted that “embedding XRP into Rakuten’s loyalty and payment infrastructure is a strong signal of digital asset adoption.”

Rakuten chooses XRP: BTC and ETH are already there—why add it specifically?

Rakuten is not new to cryptocurrencies. Previously, the platform had already supported Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). With XRP added this time, people are curious: among so many tokens, why single out XRP?

From a technical perspective, XRP Ledger’s cross-border settlement speed and fee structure have long been its core selling points for targeting payment scenarios. Rakuten’s move, to a certain extent, is a real-world validation of this narrative.

However, it’s worth noting that Ripple has not publicly commented on this matter so far. Rakuten has clearly stated that this is the company’s independent decision and not an official partnership with Ripple. The separation between the two adds a layer of intriguing background to this integration—XRP’s ecosystem expansion may not necessarily need to be led by Ripple.

The leap from “exchange token” to “payment tool”

For a long time, the main controversy surrounding XRP has been focused on legal proceedings and token ranking by market cap, rather than real-world use cases. Rakuten’s step may be the most convincing rebuttal so far.

Kohrogi’s remarks hit the core: embedding XRP into loyalty programs and payment infrastructure is what real adoption looks like. The 44 million potential users don’t need to understand blockchain first—just opening the Rakuten Pay app that they already use can create a tangible financial connection with XRP.

Of course, there is still a huge gap between the number of potential users and the number of truly active payment users. How high the conversion rate can go is the real stress test for this integration.