- Ripple and SBI will introduce RLUSD in Japan in early 2026 under a transparent, fully regulated legal structure.
- RLUSD will be backed 1:1 by U.S. dollar reserves and independently attested monthly to maintain trust and institutional-grade security.
- Japan may emerge as a leading example of stablecoin regulation with RLUSD’s integration into enterprise-level financial operations.
Ripple has partnered with Japan’s SBI Holdings to introduce the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in the Japanese market. The companies plan to distribute the digital asset by the first quarter of 2026, positioning it for institutional and enterprise applications under Japan’s revised regulatory structure.
SBI VC Trade, a fully registered and licensed subsidiary of SBI Holdings, will facilitate its local distribution of RLUSD. This partnership is to see collaboration between Japan and the US as Japan tries to draft a regulatory regime to regulate the trading of stablecoins, which focuses on legal compliance, transparency, and investor protection. The rollout identifications are in progress.
Backed with an Assets Structure to support RLUSD Stability
RLUSD will be 1:1 backed by U.S. dollars, Ripple has asserted. These will comprise cash deposits, short-term U.S. government bonds, and similar cash assets. This will be overseen by a third-party accounting firm that will perform monthly attestations of reserve holdings. This framework is tailor-made to accommodate the institutional needs of financial security and disclosure.
RLUSD is being positioned as an enterprise-grade stablecoin. Ripple aims to serve corporate financial systems through this digital asset, which is tailored for regulated environments. Tomohiko Kondo, CEO of SBI VC Trade, emphasized that the initiative will support the credibility of digital assets within Japan’s financial infrastructure.
Partnership Reflects Ripple’s Long-Term Strategy
Jack McDonald, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoins, noted that the partnership with SBI aligns with Ripple’s broader goal of building compliant financial systems. He described RLUSD as a practical bridge connecting centralized financial institutions and decentralized platforms. Ripple had previously acquired the stablecoin platform Rail in a $200 million deal to support this direction.
The global stablecoin market currently holds a valuation near $300 billion. Analysts forecast the sector could exceed the trillion-dollar mark in the coming years. Ripple and SBI intend to position RLUSD as a core offering in this evolving space by focusing on compliance and enterprise-grade design.
With RLUSD set to launch in early 2026, Japan may become one of the first nations to demonstrate how regulated stablecoins can function at scale in enterprise and financial contexts. The collaboration between Ripple and SBI Holdings will serve as an early test case under the country’s new legal environment.
