Ripple partners with SBI to bring RLUSD to Japan! Positive news for stablecoins can't save XRP, price falls to a three-week low.

Ripple Labs announced a partnership with Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings, planning to distribute its US dollar stablecoin RLUSD in Japan through SBI VC Trade in the first quarter of 2026. This move will expand the stablecoin options in the Japanese market and could open up new growth engines for Ripple in Asia. However, despite the continuous favourable information, the price of XRP fell by 3.6% within 24 hours, reaching a three-week low of 2.83 USD.

Cooperation Details: RLUSD Launches in Japan

Partners: Ripple Labs × SBI Holdings

Distribution Channel: SBI subsidiary SBI VC Trade (holds multiple Japanese financial licenses)

Product Features:

1. 1:1 reserve support (USD deposits, short-term US Treasury bills, cash equivalents)

2. Designed for enterprise use cases, emphasizing compliance and reliability.

Market Background: Japan's stablecoin market is accelerating its opening, and SBI VC Trade is the first electronic payment tool trading service provider in Japan.

The CEO of SBI VC Trade, Tomohiro Kondo, stated: "The launch of RLUSD not only expands the stablecoin options in the Japanese market but also represents an important step towards reliability and convenience."

Ripple and SBI's Long-term Alliance

The collaboration began in 2016: the joint venture SBI Ripple Asia was established (SBI holds 60%, Ripple holds 40%).

Strategic Objective: Promote Ripple's cross-border payment and digital asset services in Asia.

International Layout:

1. RLUSD will be launched in December 2024.

2. Approved by the Dubai Financial Services Authority in June 2025, entering the Middle East market.

Market Positioning and Challenges of RLUSD

Market Cap: 6.66 million USD (accounting for 0.24% of the stablecoin market)

Trading Volume: 24 hours 71 million USD

Competitors: giants like Tether (USDT), Circle (USDC)

Growth Potential: The stablecoin market has reached a scale of 266 billion USD and is expected to rise to several trillion USD.

Ripple stated that the enterprise application scenarios of RLUSD will include cross-border settlement, fund management, and integration with decentralized finance (DeFi).

Favourable Information is Difficult to Save XRP Price

Despite the favourable information about the stablecoin business, the XRP price continues to weaken:

24-hour fall: -3.6%

Current price: 2.83 USD (three-week low)

Fell -22% from the high on July 18.

The decline rate is faster than the overall market: during the same period, the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies fell by approximately 8.5%.

Analysts believe that the reasons for XRP's price pressure include:

1. Market funds are rotating to other altcoins and stablecoin projects.

2. Investors lack confidence in short-term price rebounds.

3. Global macroeconomic and regulatory uncertainty

Future Outlook: Can stablecoins become a new rise curve for Ripple?

Short-term Challenge: How to Compete with Local Financial Institutions and International Stablecoin Giants in the Japanese Market

Mid-term opportunity: Combining SBI's financial network with Ripple's cross-border payment technology to capture market share in Asia.

Long-term potential: If RLUSD is widely adopted in Japan, it will help Ripple establish a global stablecoin brand influence and benefit the XRP ecosystem.

Conclusion

Ripple's partnership with SBI has opened the doors to the Japanese market for RLUSD. This is not only an important step for the internationalization of stablecoins but could also become a new engine for Ripple's future revenue rise. However, the continued fall in XRP prices reminds the market that favourable information does not necessarily translate immediately into an increase in token prices. The real challenge lies in how to create a strong synergy between the stablecoin business and the XRP ecosystem.