LINE Japan to Link with PayPay This Summer, Enabling Direct Transfers in Chatrooms

TOKYO (CNA) - Japanese IT firm LINE Yahoo and digital payment giant PayPay announced today that they will enable LINE and PayPay account linking this summer. In the future, users will be able to use PayPay for transfers directly within LINE chatrooms without needing to open the PayPay app.

According to The Nikkei and CNET Japan, LINE has 100 million monthly active users in Japan, while PayPay has 74 million registered users. The two companies aim to create a new service experience where "PayPay can be used as long as you have LINE." They also plan to integrate LINE Points and PayPay Points, with the expectation that PayPay Points can be accumulated through the use of LINE services in the future. Other features will be rolled out sequentially after the integration is complete.

In addition to basic user information, both parties will be able to easily share information such as PayPay balances and LINE friend lists in the future.

LINE users will be able to complete PayPay transfers and collections directly from the chatroom screen. Furthermore, through the MINI App mechanism, which allows specific applications to run within LINE, users can directly check their PayPay balance and transaction history through LINE. LINE MINI App is a service launched by LINE in 2019, which is a lightweight web application.

PayPay's transfer process will also become more convenient. LINE friend information will be displayed within the PayPay app, making it easy to find transfer recipients even without knowing their phone number or user ID.

Simultaneously, users will be able to register for PayPay directly through LINE. This move will leverage LINE's widespread popularity across all age groups to encourage the use of PayPay among the elderly population, who tend to rely more on cash.

LINE Yahoo (LY Corporation) and PayPay are both subsidiaries of SoftBank Corp. The account linking service was first gradually implemented between PayPay and Yahoo starting in 2018, and LINE and Yahoo were linked in 2023. With the completion of the LINE and PayPay link, cross-platform integration of communication, search, shopping, and payment services will become easier in the future.

LINE, PayPay, and Yahoo also plan to fully utilize big data. While protecting personal privacy and obtaining user consent, the three parties plan to anonymize and analyze big data. By analyzing user consumption journeys, from interest generation to actual purchase, the quality of services and artificial intelligence (AI) will be improved.

The report points out that communication apps in other countries, such as South Korea's KakaoTalk and China's WeChat, have already become "Super Apps" with diverse functions including payments, deeply integrated into people's daily lives. LINE also hopes to create a platform centered around chat that offers various services by integrating with services like PayPay, seeking further growth. (Compiled by Li Jing / Reviewed by Liu Shuqin) 1111111150702)

Stand with facts, your every donation is a force to protect press freedom

Download the CNA "One-Stop News" APP, get the latest news in real-time

This website's text, images, and videos may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.