Line, the mobile messaging platform, is crossing into the payments sphere with its new Line Pay service that will launch worldwide next week on Dec. 8, VentureBeat reported.
Line Pay users can use their messaging accounts to make digital payments through a credit card anywhere and directly from a mobile phone. The service will first be offered thorough Line’s affiliated shops and services and then eventually branch out as a method of payment across online and offline stores. The company is also looking into P2P payments internationally, VentureBeat said.
Line, which launched in 2011, was designed as a method in Japan to communicated with friends, but the service has expanded to 170 million monthly active users in 230 countries. It also offers cameras and game apps. Its e-Commerce presence has spread through selling digital content. The growth trajectory aligns with the market its competing with.
“Launching its own payment service does, of course, make sense, as it looks to ease the path from your wallet to its own coffers. And the fact that it’s looking to enable purchases in physical, bricks-and-mortar stores echoes a trend we’ve seen elsewhere across the online realm, with the likes of Google launching its own mobile payment system in the form of Google Wallet,” VentureBeat reported.
High security measures are another element of the service. Line Pay users have a password for both the messaging service and the payment option and passwords will be requested every time using a new device. The security measures also tap into Apple’s tech.
“With two-factor authentication in tow, users will also be asked to verify their Line account via their smartphones whenever making payments using Line Pay on their PC or Mac. iPhone users can make use of Apple’s new Touch ID verification technology,” according to the article.
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