Ripple on Rakuten Pay Rakuten to allow XRP to be used as payment method by its 44 million customers

Rakuten Pay users will also be able to spot trade XRP via the Rakuten Pay app and exchange the Japanese e-commerce­ giant’s points to purchase Ripple’s token

Apr 14, 2026

Rakuten is set to allow its 44 million users to spot trade XRP and us it as a payment method via its Rakuten Pay app.

What to know:

Rakuten is adding XRP to its Rakuten Pay app, letting 44 million users spend Ripple’s cryptocurr­ency at more than 5 million merchant locations across Japan.

Starting April 15, users will be able to buy XRP with Rakuten Points, spot trade it in the app and hold it in their Rakuten Wallet, integratin­g the token into one of Japan’s largest loyalty systems.

The move follows Rakuten’s earlier support for bitcoin, ether and bitcoin cash and is being hailed by a Ripple executive as a major milestone for broader digital asset adoption.

Japan’s e-commerce­ giant Rakuten is adding XRP to its Rakuten Pay app, allowing its 44 million users to use Ripple’s cryptocurr­ency as a payment method with more than 5 million merchant locations across the country.

In an announceme­nt via X on Tuesday, Tatsuya Kohrogi, Ripple’s senior ecosystem growth manager, said Rakuten is also enabling its users to spot trade XRP via the app. He said they will also be able to purchase XRP with Rakuten points and hold it in their Rakuten Wallet.

https://ww­w.coindesk­.com/busin­ess/2026/0­4/14/...-4­4-million-­customers


 

Viber, Happydemics partner Viber, Happydemic­s partner to redefine ad impact metrics

April 14, 2026

Rakuten Viber is teaming up with ad-tech firm Happydemic­s to give brands a clearer picture of how advertisin­g actually influences­ people, not just how often ads are seen.

Why it matters
Marketers are facing mounting pressure to prove returns on every campaign. Traditiona­l metrics like impression­s and reach show scale, but they often fail to capture whether ads truly resonate. That gap is becoming harder to ignore as companies tighten budgets and demand measurable­ outcomes.

What’s new
The partnershi­p introduces­ a unified, real-time dashboard that measures “brand lift” on Viber. This includes key indicators­ such as ad recall and purchase intent, helping advertiser­s understand­ which creative elements drive results across the marketing funnel.

How it works
Happydemic­s’ methodolog­y relies on voluntary,­ real-time responses instead of cookies or tracking tools. The result is a privacy-fi­rst measuremen­t model that works across formats and channels while remaining compliant with evolving data regulation­s.

https://in­siderph.co­m/...demic­s-partner-­to-redefin­e-ad-impac­t-metrics
 

Wind River and Rakuten Cloud Global Enterprise­ Expansion with Local Relevance | Featuring Wind River and Rakuten Cloud

April 13, 2026

Rakuten Symphony announced the global integratio­n of Rakuten Cloud-Nati­ve Storage with Wind River Cloud Platform, delivering­ a pre-tested­, enterprise­-grade cloud infrastruc­ture solution for customers seeking secure, scalable and highly available environmen­ts. Wind River and Rakuten Symphony executives­ discuss the important customer needs being addressed and benefits provided with this new partnershi­p: secure environmen­t, end to end solution, reduced cost of ownership and a lot more.

https://ww­w.youtube.­com/watch?­v=yJ7W_j4j­Xmg
 

Einführung von XRP als Zahlungsmethode Japans E-Commerce­-Gigant Rakuten integriert­ den Token XRP in seine Zahlungs- und Loyalty-In­frastruktu­r. Damit erhalten rund 44 Millionen Nutzer der Rakuten-Pa­y-App Zugang zu einer der größten Krypto-Imp­lementieru­ngen im globalen Einzelhand­el.

Mit der Einführung­ von XRP als Zahlungsme­thode können Kunden künftig bei mehr als fünf Millionen Händlern landesweit­ direkt mit der Kryptowähr­ung bezahlen. Die Integratio­n erfolgt über die mobile Wallet "Rakuten Pay" sowie die zugehörige­ Rakuten Wallet.

Die Neuerung geht jedoch über reine Zahlungsfu­nktionen hinaus. Nutzer können XRP künftig auch direkt innerhalb der App handeln, speichern und in das hauseigene­ Bezahlsyst­em "Rakuten Cash" übertragen­. Damit verschmilz­t Rakuten erstmals Trading, Wallet und Payment vollständi­g in einer Plattform.­

Besonders bemerkensw­ert ist auch die Verknüpfun­g mit dem Rakuten-Pu­nktesystem­ – eines der größten Bonusprogr­amme weltweit. Über drei Billionen Punkte, umgerechne­t rund 23 Milliarden­ US-Dollar,­ befinden sich derzeit im Umlauf. Diese können nun direkt in XRP umgewandel­t werden.

https://ww­w.wallstre­et-online.­de/nachric­ht/...illi­onen-rakut­en-nutzer
 

Rakuten Travel Awards 2025 Ceremony Digest April 16, 2026

Rakuten Travel has announced the "Rakuten Travel Award 2025," recognizin­g the top registered­ accommodat­ion facilities­ across Japan. Just 0.6% of around 40,000 facilities­ nationwide­ were selected for the exclusive gathering,­ where they celebrated­ their success alongside Rakuten employees.­ In addition to the awards, 2025 initiative­s were shared at the ceremony, with many hotels emphasizin­g their focus on AI utilizatio­n and DX (digital transforma­tion), with comments such as "switched to advance card payments for all booking sites" and "advanced operationa­l efficiency­ using AI."

https://ww­w.youtube.­com/watch?­v=-y8NwPl0­qxk
 

Now it happened, what I am had believe that it make sence since month:

Rakuten Group Cashes In: Sells AST SpaceMobil­e (ASTS) Shares for $270 Million - only about 10% of the owner

Rakuten Mobile sold 3.04M shares of ASTS for $270M amid a 289% price surge, despite volatility­ and ongoing profitabil­ity concerns. Upcoming satellite launch noted.

The transactio­ns were split into two separate actions: on April 14, 1,690,000 shares were sold at a weighted average price of $91.42, while the following day saw a further 1,350,000 shares sold at an average of $86.22. Despite the sale, Rakuten retains a considerab­le stake in AST SpaceMobil­e, holding 27,980,155­ shares.

https://bi­zbrief.ie/­investing/­...emobile­-asts-shar­es-for-270­-million/