Ripple News: Why Rakuten Wallet Is Betting XRP Solves Crypto’s Speed Problem

Rakuten Wallet did not add XRP spot trading in isolation. According to senior analyst Yasuo Matsuda, the move reflects a specific theory the exchange has been building toward: that crypto payments have been stuck for years behind two unsolved problems, and that solving both together, not separately, is what finally makes real-world settlement viable.

The two-part problem Rakuten says crypto had to solve

Matsuda traced the issue back to Bitcoin’s original premise: cross-border settlement without financial intermediaries. That premise ran into two practical walls. Transaction processing was too slow for real commerce, and price volatility made holding crypto for even short periods risky.

Stablecoins, in Rakuten’s framing, solved the volatility side. XRP, according to Matsuda, was built specifically to solve the speed side. Put together, he argues, the two finally close the gap between crypto’s technical capabilities and what businesses actually need for settlement.

Corporate transfers, not retail spending, sit behind the strategy

The retail-facing changes are the most visible part of this launch. XRP purchased through Rakuten Wallet can convert into Rakuten Cash, usable across Rakuten’s retail network and its Rakuten Ichiba marketplace. Users can also buy XRP directly with Rakuten Points rather than committing their own money, which Matsuda said lowers the psychological barrier for people wary of risking cash on crypto.