Share this article
E-Commerce Giant Rakuten Now Lets Users Shop With Cryptocurrency
The move opens up crypto payments at thousands of merchants across Japan that accept Rakuten Pay and Rakuten Point Card.
Updated May 9, 2023, 3:16 a.m. Published Mar 1, 2021, 10:03 a.m.

Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is now allowing users to spend bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies at merchants throughout Japan.
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
- According to a recent announcement, users of Rakuten's cryptocurrency wallet can now exchange bitcoin, ether and bitcoin cash for the firm’s e-money, Rakuten Cash, to charge its Pay app and Point credit card.
- The firm says it's not levying fees on such transfers, which can range from 1,000 yen ($9.37) to a maximum of 100,000 yen ($937) in total value per month.
- The move means customers can pay with crypto at thousands of merchants across Japan that accept Rakuten Pay and Rakuten Point Card.
- This spring, Rakuten is also integrating its crypto wallet into the Pay app.
- Rakuten's ecommerce service has over 95 million registered users according to a JPMorgan insight report.
Read more: ShareRing Brings Its Blockchain Identity Solution to Rakuten Travel Bookers
More For You
KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Coinbase’s Base faces builder backlash over creator coin push

Builders on Base are pushing back against the network’s close alignment with Zora, arguing the creator-coin narrative sidelines established projects.
What to know:
- Base has seen a surge in creator-coin issuance via Zora, with daily token mints surpassing Solana in August, boosting onchain activity and attention.
- Some Base-native projects say marketing and social support has become narrowly focused on Zora-linked initiatives, leaving other established communities without recognition.
- While Base continues to process more than 10 million transactions per day, critics warn that deteriorating builder sentiment could push projects toward rival chains like Solana or Sui.
Top Stories











