Rakuten Pay Integrates XRP for 44 Million Japanese Users, Enables Payments at 5M+ Merchants

Gate News message, April 15 — Rakuten Pay, Japan's major payment application, has officially integrated XRP as a payment method, enabling its 44 million users to transact with the token at over 5 million merchant locations across the country as of April 14.

The integration allows users to convert and spend XRP directly within the Rakuten Pay app using existing payment infrastructure, including QR-based payments and seamless checkout mechanisms. This represents one of the largest real-world cryptocurrency payment integrations to date, moving XRP from a trading asset into everyday spending use case.

Japan's well-defined crypto regulations and robust fintech infrastructure position the country as a suitable market for such innovations. The integration reflects a broader industry trend of cryptocurrencies transitioning from exchange-based trading to real-world applications in retail and payments.