XRP has entered a new chapter in Japan’s payments market after Rakuten Wallet 
connected the token to Rakuten Pay and Rakuten Cash, giving millions of 
everyday users a route to interact with the cryptocurrency through an 
ecosystem they already use. The development is one of the most talked-about 
XRP adoption stories of the year, among many others. Crypto commentator Dr. 
Kamilah Stevenson relayed a message for investors fixated on XRP&#8217;s price 
chart: they are watching the wrong screen, while the XRP ecosystem is quietly 
being opened to 44 million new users. The Market Is Missing The Real XRP Story 
Stevenson’s comments are based on one idea: XRP adoption may be moving forward 
beneath the surface even when price action looks quiet. According to the 
crypto commentator, many investors judge adoption by whether the price jumps 
immediately after a headline. That is the wrong way to measure developments 
like the Rakuten Wallet rollout. Related Reading: Is XRP A Scam Or A Trillion- 
Dollar Coin? Pundit Shares The Answers As noted by Stevenson, 44 million 
people just got access to XRP. However, that is not a claim that 44 million 
people have bought the cryptocurrency. Instead, it references Rakuten Wallet, 
which added XRP to its Rakuten Pay app, allowing its 44 million users to use 
the cryptocurrency as a payment method across more than 5 million merchant 
locations in Japan. Therefore, this implies that a consumer base of 44 million 
users now has access to XRP anytime they want, particularly to be used as a 
payment option. That matters for XRP because the cryptocurrency&#8217;s long-running 
investment thesis has always leaned heavily on payment utility. It also plays 
into the trend of an outlook of adoption by financial institutions. As noted 
by Stevenson, &#8220;this is exactly what institutional adoption looks like, and 
most people are completely missing it.&#8221; Price Is Not The First Signal To Watch 
Most crypto investors, especially retail traders, are always chasing headlines 
and expect the XRP price to jump very quickly to moves like this. However, 
there is a risk in expecting adoption to show up instantly on the price chart. 
Related Reading: Here’s Why The XRP Price Keeps Crashing Despite Bitcoin 
Rising On the other hand, real adoption doesn&#8217;t move prices immediately. 
Institutional money doesn&#8217;t move on headlines. The more important things are 
transaction volume, merchant adoption, and proof of concept at scale. That 
view fits the Rakuten development more closely than a simple bullish price 
headline would. Rakuten Wallet’s rollout allows users to convert Rakuten 
Points into XRP, trade the asset in-app, and charge Rakuten Cash through 
Rakuten Wallet for spending with Rakuten Pay. Interestingly, the Rakuten 
development is one of many that are increasing the utility of XRP and the 
entire XRPL ecosystem on a global scale. While retail traders are watching the 
price chart, the real money is watching the infrastructure quietly built 
underneath. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

This New Move Just Opened XRP To 44 Million New Users

Two affiliates of the crypto-backed PAC Fairshake reported media buys for 
political candidates in Georgia, Alabama, Nebraska, Kentucky and Texas this 
week.

Crypto PACs spend $7.2M to support candidates in 5 US states ahead of elections

Strategy—formerly known as MicroStrategy—could meaningfully accelerate its 
Bitcoin-buying pace this year, according to analysts at JPMorgan. The firm, 
led by well-known Bitcoin bull Michael Saylor, is already one of the largest 
publicly traded Bitcoin treasury companies, and JPMorgan believes its next 
move may be a larger, faster round of acquisitions. Strategy Could Outpace 
Past Bitcoin Buying Strategy currently holds more than 818,000 Bitcoin, 
according to BitcoinTreasuries.net. Purchases have been active throughout 
2026: the company reportedly added over 145,000 BTC in just five months, which 
is estimated at roughly $11 billion. JPMorgan analysts, however, said that 
amount could rise substantially. Under their view, Strategy’s Bitcoin 
purchases this year could reach $30 billion over the course of the year. At 
today’s implied annualized pace, that would put 2026 purchases far above the 
roughly $22 billion acquired across 2024 and 2025 combined. Related Reading: 
VanEck Forecast: Bitcoin Could Climb To $1,000,000 By 2031, Research Head Says 
JPMorgan pointed to a change in momentum in April, saying Strategy “appears to 
have re-accelerated its bitcoin purchases.” The analysts tied the behavior to 
what they described as an increasingly opportunistic buying pattern. The 
optimism around Strategy’s plan also showed up in analyst price targets. On 
Thursday, TD Cowen raised its target price for the company’s stock, MSTR, from 
$385 to $395. As of the time of writing, MSTR closed at $179, translating to 
an 18% gain since the beginning of the year. If TD Cowen’s forecast were to 
play out, the implied move would represent about a 120% jump from current 
levels. Net Loss Vs. Big Forecast Analysts also highlighted the financing 
approach by Strategy behind the acquisitions. They say the firm&#8217;s increased 
use of STRC (variable-rate perpetual preferred stock) to fund Bitcoin 
purchases could improve capital efficiency, making it more attractive relative 
to prevailing market pricing. Still, the company&#8217;s latest financial picture 
includes major losses. Strategy reported a net loss of $12.54 billion for the 
quarter, driven largely by an unrealized decline in Bitcoin fair value of 
$14.46 billion. Related Reading: This New Move Just Opened XRP To 44 Million 
New Users Looking ahead, the base case and scenarios for Strategy reflect a 
bullish outlook. The firm’s base case is that Bitcoin could reach 
approximately $140,000 by the end of 2026, with an upside scenario of about 
$175,000. Separately, Joseph Vafi at Canaccord Genuity reiterated a Buy rating 
on May 7, lifting his MSTR price target from $185 to $224. Canaccord noted 
that since Bitcoin has rebounded—moving up from its roughly $62,000 low to 
more than $80,000—Strategy has continued to “weather another perceived storm. 
Featured image created with OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

JPMorgan Says Strategy Could Buy Up To $30B In Bitcoin This Year– TD Cowen Lifts Target To $395

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Miami 2026 stage on Thursday to outline how the group&#8217;s 2.7 million advocates 
will engage in the November midterms. Mason Lynaugh, executive director of 
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Coinbase shares fell about 5% after hours as Q1 revenue dropped to $1.4 
billion and the exchange posted a $394 million loss.
The post Coinbase reports $394M Q1 loss as stock declines 5% after hours amid 
trading slowdown appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

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A federal court has sentenced a California man to 78 months in prison for his 
role in a social engineering conspiracy that authorities say stole more than 
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[…]

This New Move Just Opened XRP To 44 Million New Users

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