Ripple Launches RLUSD in Japan as Regulated Stablecoin Expansion Gains Momentum

TheNewsCryptoPublished on 2026-06-25Last updated on 2026-06-25

Abstract

Ripple has officially launched its regulated U.S. dollar stablecoin, RLUSD, in Japan through the SBI VC Trade platform (VCTRADE). This follows approval from Japan's Financial Services Agency under the country's Type 4 Electronic Payment Instrument framework. The launch marks a significant expansion for RLUSD into a major, technologically advanced market and deepens Ripple's long-standing partnership with the SBI Group, which began in 2016. In Japan, RLUSD will be used for cross-border payments, tokenization, and collateral management. The stablecoin is backed by U.S. dollar deposits, Treasury holdings, and cash equivalents, with regular third-party attestations. SBI VC Trade will offer free deposits and withdrawals for the asset. Since its late-2024 debut, RLUSD's market capitalization has grown to approximately $1.7 billion, making it the second USD stablecoin on the VCTRADE platform after USD Coin. Ripple highlights Japan's clear regulatory environment as key to this strategic growth.

Ripple is officially bringing out RLUSD into the Japanese market, which becomes an important milestone for its future international growth. By doing this, the company will make significant progress in its operations in one of the most technologically sophisticated digital assets markets worldwide.

Now, after obtaining approval from Japan’s Financial Services Agency, institutional and retail investors will have access to RLUSD at the VCTRADE platform of SBI VC Trade. With RLUSD available in Japan, Ripple and SBI intend to support the following use cases, including cross-border payments, tokenization, and collateral management.

Regulatory Framework Supports RLUSD Growth

Ripple considers Japan an essential market because regulators provide clear guidelines for innovation in the digital asset sector. SBI noted that the launch was critical to enabling blockchain-based financial services in regulated environments. According to Reece Merrick, Ripple’s Managing Director of the Middle East and Africa region, the launch will leverage the firm’s long-standing partnership, thereby enabling regulated USD stablecoins access for Japanese users.

Japan approved RLUSD under its Type 4 Electronic Payment Instrument framework, allowing regulated financial institutions to distribute the stablecoin. Ripple backs RLUSD with U.S. dollar deposits, Treasury holdings, and cash-equivalent assets.

Japan Becoming Ripple’s Favourite Market

In addition to that, Ripple issues monthly attestations from third-party institutions regarding the funds held in reserve. SBI VC Trade will facilitate free deposits and withdrawals of RLUSD, thus increasing its accessibility for Japanese customers. On the other hand, the relationship between the two firms is not new. The collaboration of Ripple and SBI Group goes back to 2016.

RLUSD, which was launched at the end of 2024, grew very quickly, and its market cap increased to about $1.7 billion. RLUSD became the second USD stablecoin on SBI VC Trade following USD Coin.

Japan became a part of Ripple’s ever-growing network of regulated markets; thus, the new RLUSD became even more important for global payments infrastructure. It demonstrates ongoing work by Ripple to facilitate the usage of regulated stablecoins and expand its blockchain platform.

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