Rakuten Wallet Bets on XRP to Revolutionize Crypto Settlement Speed

Rakuten Wallet's recent decision to add XRP spot trading is not just a random move, according to senior analyst Yasuo Matsuda. In an interview, Matsuda explained that this addition reflects a specific theory his team has been building toward: solving two long-standing problems in the crypto space.

The first problem, as Matsuda described it, is transaction processing speed. He believes that XRP was built specifically to solve this issue, while stablecoins addressed the second problem of price volatility. Together, these two solutions finally close the gap between crypto's technical capabilities and what businesses need for settlement.

Matsuda pointed out that corporate treasury operations are the real driver behind this strategy, not retail spending. He cited intercompany settlements, cross-border transfers tied to employee expenses, and B2B payments routed through Japanese accounts as underserved needs that crypto settlement rails could open up.

The analyst also emphasized the importance of liquidity in his case for XRP over other settlement-focused assets. He noted that XRP's position as the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization provides sufficient depth for remittance and settlement flows, distinguishing it from assets whose usage skews mostly speculative.