XRP Headed For A Price Shock, Japan’s Financial Heavyweight Says

A 10 billion yen blockchain bond launched earlier this year by SBI Holdings may say more about Japan’s XRP ambitions than any price prediction could. Crypto commentator Stellar Rippler brought the SBI CEO’s remarks to light, sparking fresh debate over XRP’s outlook. Related Reading: Bitcoin ETFs Gaining Ground, Could Soon Surpass Gold—Analyst SBI’s Long Game With Ripple The Tokyo-based financial giant issued the bond in February 2026, offering investors returns paid out in XRP — a first for a major Japanese financial institution. The move came alongside plans to roll out Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin through SBI’s licensed exchange in Japan, and a new partnership between SBI Ripple Asia and the Asia Web3 Alliance Japan to back startups building financial tools on the XRP Ledger. SBI’s ties to Ripple run deep. The company has been Ripple’s largest external shareholder since the two firms launched SBI Ripple Asia in 2016. That joint venture has