Ripple Launches RLUSD Stablecoin in Japan Through Partnership with SBI Group

Highlights:

• Ripple announced that it has expanded its RLUSD reach in Asia.
• The payment firm partnered with SBI Group to aid the stablecoin expansion
• SBI VC Trade CEO stated that the company will continue supporting stablecoin adoption in Japan. 

San Francisco-based cross-border payment company and RLUSD stablecoin issuer Ripple has expanded its stablecoin reach in Japan through a partnership with SBI Holdings and its digital asset subsidiary, SBI VC Trade. The payment firm announced the strategic move in a press release on Wednesday. 

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Ripple noted that the move gives both individual and business users in Japan access to RLUSD through SBI VC Trade’s VCTRADE platform, following approval from Japan’s Financial Services Agency (JFSA). This approval allows RLUSD to operate under Japan’s Payment Services Act as one of the foreign-issued stablecoins that meet the country’s regulatory requirements.

We're proud to announce that Ripple USD ($RLUSD) is now officially available in Japan, following approval from the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA): https://t.co/5rJZBrFaIM

Through our partnership with SBI Group and @sbivc_official, $RLUSD will be accessible to both…

— Ripple (@Ripple) June 25, 2026

Ripple Continues to Expand in Asia as it Launches RLUSD in Japan

The Ripple and SBI Group partnership builds upon the vision contained in their initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced in August 2025. So far, both companies have been working together to support the growth of blockchain-based financial services in Japan.  

Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoins, Jack McDonald, described Japan as an ideal market for RLUSD because of the region’s strong digital assets regulations and its focus on financial innovation. 

The Senior Vice President added: 

“Through our collaboration with SBI Group, RLUSD will serve as a bridge for payments, tokenization, and collateral management, connecting Japanese businesses and individuals more efficiently to global liquidity.”

SBI VC Trade CEO Tomojiko Kondo also reacted to the move. He described it as another important step in the Ripple and SBI Group partnership. He added that both companies will continue to roll out new services around RLUSD and explore ways to support digital finance with Ripple’s stablecoin.

Kondo stated:

“Looking ahead, we remain fully committed to expanding the range of services built around RLUSD and fostering new use cases that deliver greater value to our customers and the broader market.”

Beyond its collaboration with Ripple, SBI Group has remained instrumental in driving stablecoin adoption in Japan. On June 24, Crypto2Community reported that SBI Group and Startle Group partnered to launch Jaoan’s first trust-backed yen stablecoin. The token is currently available for trading on SBI VC Trade accounts. Fixed to the Japanese yen, the stablecoin maintains a fixed value of one yen per token.

🚨HUGE: JAPAN JUST APPROVED ACCESS TO RIPPLE’S $1.7B RLUSD STABLECOIN

RLUSD can now be used in Japan as a new electronic payment, available to both retail and institutional users through SBI VC Trade.

This puts $RLUSD as the second dollar stablecoin approved after Circle's… pic.twitter.com/Q35L6WiR6B

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) June 25, 2026

Ripple’s RLUSD Marks Significant Growth as the Payment Firm Expands in Other Regions

RLUSD was launched in late 2024. It was designed as an enterprise-focused stablecoin linked to the United States dollar. So far, its market capitalization has spiked to about $1.7 billion amid rising demand for regulated digital assets. 

Traders have used the stablecoin in different markets to support faster settlements and smoother cross-border transactions. Ripple noted that it is considering deploying RLUSD for more sophisticated uses such as automated trade payments and supply chain finance.

On June 23, Crypto2Community reported that Ripple had taken a major step in its European expansion. According to the publication, the payment firm secured preliminary approval for a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license in Luxembourg. The Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) granted the approval under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework. 

Ripple also expanded its offerings in Brazil earlier this year. The company noted that its broad services in the South American nation included cross-border payments, asset storage, trading support, and treasury operations. 

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