XRP Could See Fresh Demand As Japan’s Rakuten Unlocks Loyalty Point Conversions

Japan’s crypto tax overhaul could soon make Rakuten’s new XRP feature far more attractive. Policymakers are reviewing a proposal to slash capital gains rates on digital assets from 55% to 20% — a change that would dramatically alter how Japanese consumers think about holding and spending cryptocurrency.

Everyday Shopping, Now With Crypto

Rakuten Wallet launched a feature this week letting users in Japan swap their Rakuten Points directly into XRP. From there, those tokens can be traded inside the app or spent at over 5 million merchant locations through Rakuten Pay.

The rollout brings XRP into one of Japan’s largest retail payment networks — not a crypto exchange, not a niche fintech app, but the same platform millions of Japanese consumers already use to shop, pay bills, and collect rewards.

The numbers behind the program are hard to ignore. Rakuten’s loyalty ecosystem holds more than 3 trillion points, valued at roughly $23 billion. Some 44 million Rakuten Pay users are now within reach of the feature.

Ripple’s senior ecosystem growth manager Tatsuya Kohrogi said the significance lies in the audience: most of these users have never engaged with crypto at all.

XRP Social Sentiment Up

Rakuten operates across e-commerce, banking, and telecommunications in Japan, processing trillions of yen in transactions each year.

That reach is what makes this integration unusual. Most crypto payment projects target people already inside the ecosystem. This one starts with people who are simply buying groceries or earning points on an online purchase.

RippleX confirmed the rollout on X, saying users can now convert points into XRP, trade in-app, and spend across the merchant network.

Reports indicate social sentiment for XRP in Japan has climbed to its second-highest point in two years since the news broke.

Analysts caution that price movement may lag behind the enthusiasm. Data shows sentiment spikes don’t always translate into immediate valuation changes — what matters more is whether users keep engaging with XRP after the initial novelty fades.

Ripple has been building its footprint in Japan since 2016, when SBI Group began supporting XRP-based cross-border transfers.

The company is also planning to roll out its RLUSD stablecoin through platforms in the country. As of writing, XRP was trading at $1.36, up about 3.25% over the past month.

Featured image from Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Zuma Press, chart from TradingView