LINE, Japan’s most popular social networking, and the messaging app has launched a marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The new service enables 90 million LINE users to send and receive NFTs from their friends.
‘LINE NFT’ Marketplace Has Been Launched
LVC Corp., the operator of LINE’s crypto asset and blockchain businesses, announced the launch of LINE NFT, a non-fungible token marketplace available only in Japan, on Wednesday. LINE bills itself as “the world’s fastest-growing mobile messenger app.” It allows you to send free messages, make free voice calls, and make free video calls.
“As of today, LINE NFT will sell approximately 40,000 NFT products, including Yoshimoto NFT Theater,” according to the announcement, adding that “users can store purchased NFTs in their LINE Bitmax wallet.”
Yoshimoto NFT Theater is made up of NFTs of videos created by Yoshimoto Kogyo Holdings Co. Ltd. Betamax is a cryptocurrency exchange that LINE launched in September 2019. It can be accessed via the LINE app.
The announcement goes on to say:
“Through the LINE app — with a userbase of approximately 90 million in Japan — they can conveniently send or exchange NFTs with their LINE friends.”
NFTs of popular characters, such as Gyuunyuu, Usagyuuun, and Betakkuma, will also be available on the LINE NFT marketplace, as will NFTs from the anime series “Patlabor: The Mobile Police.” More NFTs “from many different genres will be offered at a later date,” according to the company.
LVC Corp. stated that it intends to “provide NFT and other blockchain services and technologies that can be applied practically to users’ daily lives” in the future, emphasizing the concept of “LINE Blockchain Designed for Everyone.”
Rakuten, the Japanese e-commerce behemoth, is also launching an NFT marketplace. “Rakuten NFT is a service that provides a marketplace for users to buy NFTs, as well as peer-to-peer buying and selling of NFTs, in a variety of areas such as sports and entertainment, including music and anime,” the company explained in a Feb. 25 announcement. “A peer-to-peer issuing and selling of NFT content services are scheduled to launch in 2023 or later.”
To read our blog on “Research says more than one million Australians own cryptocurrency” click here.
