{"id":88325,"date":"2026-05-01T06:31:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T06:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=88325"},"modified":"2026-05-01T06:31:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T06:31:49","slug":"xrp-could-see-fresh-demand-as-japans-rakuten-unlocks-loyalty-point-conversions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=88325","title":{"rendered":"XRP Could See Fresh Demand As Japan\u2019s Rakuten Unlocks Loyalty Point Conversions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Japan\u2019s crypto tax overhaul could soon make Rakuten\u2019s new XRP feature far more attractive. Policymakers are reviewing a proposal to slash capital gains rates on digital assets from 55% to 20% \u2014 a change that would dramatically alter how Japanese consumers think about holding and spending cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n

Everyday Shopping, Now With Crypto<\/h2>\n

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

The rollout<\/a> brings XRP into one of Japan\u2019s largest retail payment networks \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

\n

https:\/\/t.co\/R7Gr5bMJPi<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tats (@tatsuya_kohrogi) April 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The numbers behind the program<\/a> are hard to ignore. Rakuten\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Ripple\u2019s senior ecosystem growth manager Tatsuya Kohrogi said the significance lies in the audience: most of these users have never engaged with crypto at all.<\/p>\n

\n

Starting today, @Rakuten_Wallet<\/a> users in Japan can convert @Rakuten<\/a> Points into XRP, spot trade in-app, and spend across 5M+ merchant locations. \"\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5\"<\/p>\n

With 44 million Rakuten Pay users and $23B in loyalty points now redeemable for XRP, this is one of the largest retail deployments\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/P7I52bGjVL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 RippleX (@RippleXDev) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

XRP Social Sentiment Up<\/h2>\n

Rakuten operates across e-commerce, banking, and telecommunications in Japan, processing trillions of yen in transactions each year.<\/p>\n

That reach is what makes this integration<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

Reports indicate social sentiment for XRP in Japan has climbed to its second-highest point in two years since the news broke.<\/p>\n

Long-Term Adoption Carries More Weight Than The Buzz<\/p>\n

Analysts caution that price movement may lag behind the enthusiasm. Data shows sentiment spikes don\u2019t always translate into immediate valuation changes \u2014 what matters more is whether users keep engaging with XRP after the initial novelty fades.<\/p>\n

Ripple has been building its footprint<\/a> in Japan since 2016, when SBI Group began supporting XRP-based cross-border transfers.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Featured image from Rodrigo Reyes Marin\/Zuma Press, chart from TradingView<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Japan\u2019s crypto tax overhaul could soon make Rakuten\u2019s new XRP feature far more attractive. Policymakers are reviewing a proposal to slash capital gains rates on digital assets from 55% to 20% \u2014 a change that would dramatically alter how Japanese consumers think about holding and spending cryptocurrency. Everyday Shopping, Now With Crypto Rakuten Wallet launched […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,5],"class_list":["post-88325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crypto","tag-doge","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88325\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}