Line Pay grows nearly 14x, spreads outside Japan

Line chief strategy and marketing officer, Jun Masuda. Photo credit: Hiromichi Matono (Nikkei BP)

Line’s payment and money transfer service Line Pay passed 10 million registered users, the company announced this month. The 2.8x growth year-over-year in registrations is reflected in the transaction volume, which grew 13.8x. Precise numbers were not released.

Line Pay launched in December 2014 and allows fellow users to transfer funds to one another.

Payments for member services and stores can also be made through the app. Helping fuel user growth was a partnership with local credit card giant JCB. They teamed up to offer a physical payment card that would give users an additional two loyalty points when used at any store in the JCB network.

Even in external markets like Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia, Line Pay has engaged in promotional campaigns and initiatives with local banks and payment-related businesses. The growth overseas is reflected in the overall numbers.

For instance, the service, which started in Taiwan in August 2015, has added over 400 ecommerce and brick-and-mortar merchants since then. From January of this year, thanks to a partnership with CTBC Bank, a localized Line Pay card is also available in Taiwan.

In Thailand, the Rabbit metro pass – which can also be used at physical stores – joined with Line to offer Rabbit Line Pay. Indonesia is also covered. Via a tie-up with banking giant Mandiri, Line Pay e-cash is now available for local users.