[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] XRP is expanding its ecosystem to major cryptocurrency platforms, payment services and exchanges.

On April 22 (all times local), blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic reported that in recent weeks Rakuten, Exodus Movement, Bitget Wallet and Binance have sequentially introduced or expanded XRP and XRP Ledger-related functions.

At the center of this trend is a push to position XRP as a practical asset for payments, trading and self-custody. Vet, an XRP Ledger validator, said the current focus has clearly shifted toward putting XRP at the forefront across the ecosystem.

The biggest change came from Japan. Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten integrated XRP into its payment system on April 14. Users can now use XRP within payment flows through its affiliate Rakuten Wallet. The move connected XRP to touchpoints with more than 44 million users in Japan and more than 5 million merchants. It also added the possibility of linking with Rakuten’s large-scale points system.

Wallet service expansion also continued. Cryptocurrency wallet provider Exodus Movement expanded its XRP Ledger integration on April 16, strengthening functions for managing and sending XRP within the wallet. The update also included support for Ripple’s enterprise stablecoin RLUSD. Exodus said XRP is already among the most actively used assets on its platform and that the expansion directly responded to user demand.

Bitget Wallet integrated the XRP Ledger mainnet and began supporting XRP and RLUSD transfers, cross-chain functions and new payment options. The integration is also extending to real payment use cases. Bitget Wallet is also preparing incentives, in cooperation with the Ripple ecosystem, to increase RLUSD adoption and lower entry barriers for new users.

In the exchange sector, Binance completed XRP Ledger-based RLUSD integration in February. Users can now deposit and withdraw RLUSD directly on that network. Trading pairs RLUSD/USDT and RLUSD/XRP are already available, creating a structure that increases liquidity within the ecosystem and supports faster, lower-cost trading.

These moves show that XRP integration is not a one-off announcement. Vet pointed out that "the core of the current situation is utility expanding across payments, trading and the entire self-custody area." He said XRP touchpoints are widening to platforms used by millions of people.

This is also what market participants are watching. Observers say that as XRP goes deeper into wallets, exchanges and payment networks, its influence could become clearer in the market’s next growth phase.

I'm not talking about Ripple products. I'm referring to XRPL integrations on Binance, Bitget, Rakuten Wallet, Exodus etc Pay attention, Fomo.