Japan’s cryptocurrency ecosystem got another boost at the same time Mercari, one of Japan’s leading e-commerce firms, added XRP trading on its Mercoin crypto exchange application. Now, Mercari provided trading of XRP, Bitcoin, and Ether, further increasing the firm’s involvement in digital assets. This update is on April 24th, 2025.
XRP Joins the Ranks: Strengthening Cryptocurrency Offerings
These updates come fewer than 12 months after Ethereum (ETH) trading was introduced on the Mercoin platform, which started Bitcoin (BTC) trading in March 2023. Adding XRP to Mercari’s offerings further deepens the firm’s commitment towards maintaining a diverse range of cryptocurrencies accessible to users. The platform’s ease of providing access to purchase the currency is exceptional.
Users can fund their accounts through balance transfers from Merpay accounts, accrued points from Mercari, and even direct bank transfers. There are low barriers to entry for new users since the platform’s crypto wallets can be opened at a nominal registration fee of 1 yen (roughly $0.007). An Expanding User Base: Millions Adopting Digital Assets
Mercari’s venture into cryptocurrency has received tremendous acclaim from users. Last December, more than three million users were actively participating in Mercoin’s crypto marketplace. The company gleefully claims it has captured the highest proportion of new crypto wallets among the domestic crypto exchanges in Japan, which means there is quite a bit of headway to make among its e-commerce customers.
Hinting at Future Plans: XRP-Based Marketing Strategies in the Works
Mercari has been quick to integrate XRP trading capabilities and has even hand-tailored XRP trading access guidelines to the rest of Japan. These were made public together with a company-sponsored press release where marketers brainstormed plans about hosting promotional events for XRP and other digital assets, which illustrates how the company directly plans to lead users to adopt digital assets.
Such a strategy is bound to enhance user integration with Mercari’s vast clientele, which in turn increases the number of users interested in discovering the possibilities embedded in using these assets.
Attracting New Users: A Minimalistic Approach
Onboarding new users into the realm of crypto is one of Mercoin’s goals. Over 90% of their users are crypto beginners, which, in and of itself, is quite a milestone. This goes to show how well supported platforms are able to enable users to adapt to the world of cryptocurrencies. For facilitating the process, advanced users have payment options such as Mercari pointers and Merpay balances, which they can effortlessly swipe onto.
The effectiveness of this approach was visible in the results of the invite campaign for increasing Bitcoin trading in July 2024. Users could invite as many new people as they wished, and every new user was paid BTC worth 200 yen upon signing up with their referrals.
Actionable Initiative: Shifting Mercari’s Metrics Focus Away from E-Commerce
The company’s overarching goals are moving away from its e-commerce core business verticals, a shift that can be observed from Mercari’s recent gambit into trading XRP. Just a month earlier, the company intended to enter the mobile telecommunications industry, which indicates a strategic shift to more closely related fields. With increasing cryptocurrency engagement, this company has a better position in the digitally integrated economy.
Other Japanese companies are also jumping on the bandwagon, like Gumi, a gaming studio, and their recent Bitcoin giveaway to shareholders worth $106,000. This shows there is a growing cryptocurrency adoption trend among different sectors in Japan.
