Japan’s largest loyalty program may have just become one of the most unexpected entry points into the cryptocurrency market.
A $23 billion reward system opens
Rakuten has accumulated over 3 trillion loyalty points worth approximately $23 billion, and users can now convert these points into XRP. This single detail changes the nature of this integration. This isn’t just another tech company adding a cryptographic option.
It is an existing, widely used rewards system that transforms into a direct path to digital currency, without the need for an exchange account. Reports have confirmed that the point-to-XRP conversion feature is part of the rollout on the Rakuten Pay and Rakuten Wallet app.
The announcement pushed XRP to $1.38, and the token’s market capitalization exceeded $84 billion. Trading volume in the last 24 hours was $2.4 billion, although this figure was down 25% from the previous period.
IT’S OFFICIAL:
XRP is LIVE to 44 million users on one of the largest wallets in Japan, Rakuten Wallet.
Allowing users to buy anything using #XRP! pic.twitter.com/pOd9CNXpTe
— JackTheRippler © (@RippleXrpie) April 15, 2026
44 million users, 5 million seller locations
Scale Rakuten network is what sets it apart. Approximately 44 million users will be able to store XRP in their Rakuten Wallet, purchase it with loyalty points, and fund Rakuten Cash to spend in-store and online.
This includes over 5 million retail locations across Japan. Users can also detect XRP transactions directly in the app.
Rakuten has already added Bitcoin, Ether, and Bitcoin Cash in earlier phases. XRP now joins this group on one of Japan’s largest consumer platforms – one that most users visit for shopping, not investing.
Ripple’s senior ecosystem development manager Tatsuya Kohrogi called it one of the most celebrated significant milestones for XRP, indicating that Rakuten Pay is a popular trading app and not a product created for cryptocurrency users.
This means that XRP is being introduced to tens of millions of people who may have never purchased or owned digital currency before.
What matters most is whether everyday customers follow them
XRP has long been associated with institutional cross-border payments. The shift to retail spending in Japan marks a marked shift in how the token appears in real-world apply.
Based on reports, analysts assess the potential as real, but conditional. The bigger question isn’t if Rakuten it has infrastructure – it is obvious that it has it. The question is whether regular customers will choose XRP when it comes time to pay, or whether they will stick with yen and existing payment methods they already trust.
If even a fraction of that $23 billion in loyalty points ends up in XRP and circulates in daily trading, it could prompt other major consumer platforms to take a closer look at similar moves.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
