Ripple’s RLUSD Becomes Japan’s First Licensed Stablecoin Under New Law
Japan’s stablecoin market is officially entering a new phase. Ripple, in partnership with SBI VC Trade, has begun distributing Ripple USD (RLUSD) in Japan, making it the first stablecoin launched under the country’s Payment Services Act framework.
SBI VC Trade stands out as the first company in Japan to receive an Electronic Payment Instruments Exchange Service Provider License, a designation created in 2023 when the revised Payment Services Act came into effect. Two years after securing the license, the firm is now leveraging it to distribute RLUSD alongside other stablecoins.
The move positions Japan as a frontrunner in the global push to regulate and formalize stablecoin use. Market observers expect the $300 billion global stablecoin sector to grow toward the $1 trillion mark in the coming years, driven by institutional demand and broader adoption in payments.
RLUSD Designed for Trust and Transparency
Ripple highlighted that RLUSD was built with institutional-grade standards in mind. Each token is backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries, and cash-like assets. Transparency is reinforced through monthly audits conducted by independent firms.
Tomohiko Kondo, CEO of SBI VC Trade, said the launch represented a milestone for Japan’s digital asset industry. “The rollout of RLUSD will expand options for users while ensuring reliability and ease of use. Together with Ripple, we aim to provide secure and transparent infrastructure for the future of finance,” he explained.
Setting a New Standard for Stablecoins
Jack McDonald, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoin, emphasized that the initiative goes beyond technology. “This collaboration is about building a reliable bridge between traditional and decentralized finance,” he said. “RLUSD is designed to set a new benchmark for stablecoins, not just in Japan but across global markets.”
With Japan now hosting the first rollout of RLUSD under a licensed framework, the partnership between Ripple and SBI could shape how other regions design and regulate stablecoin adoption. Analysts suggest that this development will further legitimize stablecoins as a cornerstone of digital finance in the years ahead.
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Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.
