Ripple and SBI to Launch RLUSD Stablecoin in Japan’s $300B Market by 2026

Key Takeaways:

• Ripple and SBI Holdings, through SBI VC Trade, signed an MoU to bring RLUSD stablecoin to Japan.
• The global stablecoin market, worth nearly $300 billion, is projected to grow into the trillions.
• RLUSD will debut in Japan in Q1 2026, fully backed by U.S. dollar reserves, Treasuries, and cash equivalents.

Ripple and Japan’s SBI Holdings are expanding their long-standing partnership with a major move into stablecoins. Together with SBI VC Trade, they announced plans to distribute Ripple USD (RLUSD), Ripple’s enterprise-grade stablecoin, in Japan by early 2026.

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A Landmark Partnership in Japan’s Crypto Market

Ripple, one of the best-known companies behind blockchain-based financial solutions, is trying to use its internationally-established reputation to enter the flourishing Japanese digital asset market. The memorandum understanding (MoU) signed on August 22, 2025, makes SBI VC Trade the licensed provider that is to roll out RLUSD in the country.

Japan has remained conservative yet liberal to regulate digital assets. The market is one of the most promising in the Asian region according to its Financial Services Agency (FSA) that has established a well-articulated framework on stablecoins. SBI VC Trade, which has already developed the status of a Crypto Asset Exchange Service Provider and an Electronic Payment Instruments Exchange Service Provider, is in a unique position of launching RLUSD under full regulation.

Tomohiko Kondo, CEO of SBI VC Trade, stressed that such a step is not just an extension of the level of stablecoins. He called RLUSD’s entry a “major step in strengthening reliability and convenience” in the Japanese market, while accelerating the convergence of finance and digital technology.

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RLUSD: Built for Institutional Trust

Unlike many retail-focused stablecoins, RLUSD is designed for enterprise adoption. Ripple has highlighted several structural safeguards that differentiate RLUSD from competitors:

• Full collateralization: RLUSD is backed one-to-one by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term Treasuries, and highly liquid cash equivalents.
• Transparency: Monthly attestations are carried out by independent third-party accounting firms, ensuring ongoing reserve verification.
• Compliance-first approach: RLUSD was built with regulatory clarity in mind, aiming to meet the…