Source: CoinDesk (Original report, includes Riot/XRP announcement reference)
Source type: Secondary (coindesk report, cited official statement).
Quick summary: Rakuten is extending its Pay/Loyalty stack with XRP support, letting users spend XRP at over 5 million merchants and trade it in-app. Japanese users can also use Rakuten Points to buy XRP and hold it in-wallet.
Why it matters: This is a major adoption milestone for XRP utility in daily payments, but it matters most for users only if they already transact on Rakuten’s ecosystem.
Before you act:
- Check if you are in an eligible region and account tier.
- Verify what fees, settlement rails, and trade limits apply.
- Confirm where XRP support is active in-app by merchant or geography.
- Review whether your use case is for spending, holding, or trading.
Risk / friction: Medium
Bottom line: Practical signal for users already in Rakuten/loyalty ecosystems; not a universal opportunity.