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XRP appears positioned to benefit from Japan’s recent endorsement of SBI Group’s blockchain settlement and stablecoin initiatives. As per a recent update, Japan’s finance minister Satsuki Katayama has announced her support for the test run project to advance securities settlement in the country.
SBI-Ripple alliance oositions XRP for institutional utility
Notably, Katayama stated that the country's Financial Services Agency is willing to support major securities companies in demonstrating blockchain-based advanced securities settlement. She noted that the initiative is targeted at improving the process of securities trading.
The move is expected to use blockchain technology to record rights information on a distributed ledger. This could increase the transparency and immediacy of rights transfers. Katayama mentioned that the SBI Group, a major Japanese financial company, is also considering a similar initiative.
The finance minister believes blockchain and stablecoins can improve payments on the Tokyo market. This could support cross-border settlement and make Japan compete globally in financial innovation.
Interestingly, SBI Group is heavily involved in Ripple and blockchain payments. In January 2025, SBI boss Yoshitaka Kitao showed support for Ripple in an article entitled "Crypto Momentum in the U.S." Ripple is in a partnership with SBI Group and uses blockchain technology.
With the endorsement of SBI Group in Japan’s financial system, it is likely that Ripple could have more of a role in the Asian country. Ripple’s USD stablecoin (RLUSD) and XRP could play a significant role in cross-border payments.
Such a development could further boost the value of RLUSD and XRP in the long term. XRP has, of late, experienced a significant decline, dropping over 30% in value in the last 30 days. This loss of value has negatively affected investor sentiment.
XRP price weakness persists despite policy tailwinds
XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) witnessed low inflows in the past week. The figure marked its lowest level in the asset’s performance since it was launched. As U.Today reported, XRP ETFs only registered $7.65 million within the last seven days.
The weak capital inflow suggests that institutional investors’ momentum is beginning to cool off. The enthusiasm that greeted their interest in XRP has dropped as uncertainty dogs XRP’s price performance.
However, XRP appears to be on a price reversal. As of this writing, XRP is changing hands at $1.47, which represents an 8.23% increase in the last 24 hours. Its trading volume has also increased by 9.82% to $2.81 billion.
Vladislav Sopov
Dan Burgin