Ripple has officially launched its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin 'RLUSD' in the Japanese market, embarking on a full-scale expansion of its Asian business.

Ripple announced that it has launched RLUSD services in Japan in partnership with financial group SBI Holdings and its subsidiary SBI VC Trade. RLUSD was approved by the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA) and classified as an 'electronic payment instrument' under Japan's Payment Services Act, a category that applies to foreign-issued stablecoins.

With this launch, Ripple plans to expand its business beyond payment services in Japan into various financial service sectors, including asset tokenization and institutional liquidity provision.

Jack McDonald, Senior Vice President who oversees Ripple's stablecoin business, stated, "Japan is leading the way in digital asset adoption in terms of regulatory clarity and financial innovation," adding, "RLUSD will play a role in connecting the Japanese and global financial markets."

The market views this launch as a significant milestone in Ripple's Asian strategy expansion, noting that Japan is one of the countries with the clearest regulatory frameworks for virtual assets in the world.

Recently, Ripple has been expanding its payment and stablecoin businesses primarily in countries with relatively clear regulatory environments, such as Europe and Japan, while continually increasing its partnerships with global financial institutions.

[This article was written with the assistance of AI. This article does not constitute investment advice, and any losses resulting from virtual asset investments are the sole responsibility of the investor.]