Ripple Launches Structured Program to Back Japanese XRPL-Focused Web3 Startups

Ripple has partnered with the Web3 Salon project by the Asia Web3 Alliance Japan to back XRPL startups in Japan.

Announced Monday, the XRP issuer will offer a grant funding of up to $200,000 per project over the next year. The program is a part of the XRPL Japan and Korea Fund and Ripple’s broader 1 billion XRP commitment.

“The funding will be awarded to a select group of early-stage startups based in Japan that are building on the XRPL,” Ripple noted. This includes firms working on use cases such as decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenized real-world assets (RWA), among others.

The grants will be awarded to startups based on their “growth potential, technological sophistication, and alignment with Ripple’s investment priorities.”

Additionally, startups will gain access to Ripple’s global partner network and experts, the digital asset firm added.

Ripple and @Web3Salon, supported by JETRO, are launching a new partnership for Japan-based Web3 startups: https://t.co/TfcOf62srY

Open to early-stage teams building on the XRP Ledger with a focus on DeFi, tokenization, and payments.

Learn how this program will fuel the next…

— RippleX (@RippleXDev) June 9, 2025

Grant Program or a Multi-Stakeholder Platform?

The chosen startups will receive financial backing and ecosystem support from Ripple, while Web3 Salon will offer mentorship, workshops, and curated opportunities for founders to scale their projects.

“Through this partnership with Ripple, we aim to support visionary founders and strengthen the bridge between global innovation and Japan’s tech landscape,” said Hinza Asif, President of Asia Web3 Alliance Japan.

Ripple calls the initiative more of a multi-stakeholder platform. It brings together diverse groups to address the gap between traditional financial systems and Web3 innovation.

Further, the initiative comprises of four major events across Japan through 2026. These gatherings aim to boost Web3 innovation, policy alignment, and investor engagement through pitch competitions, policy panels, and investor networking.

Ripple Initiative Fosters Japan’s XRP Boom

Early this year, Japan’s banking sector validated XRP, signalling a turning point for institutional adoption.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) confirmed that by the end of 2025, every bank in the country will adopt XRP for payments.

Besides, Ripple head Brad Garlinghouse said last year that the company is in the process of launching a stablecoin in Japan soon, subject to regulatory approval and licensing.

Recently, Mercari, one of Japan’s biggest e-commerce players, launched XRP trading functions on its Mercoin crypto exchange app.