Japanese messaging giant LINE has announced its blockchain roadmap for this year which includes plans to launch its proprietary blockchain mainnet.
2018 DEV WEEK concluded last week with participation from 1,000 developers from 7 countries. LINE CTO Euivin Park shared company plans at the 4-day event.
Among other things, Park revealed that LINE is building a “token economy by adopting blockchain technology into LINE’s various features and opening dApps [decentralized apps] based on incentive-type information services.”
According to the official release, LINE intends to develop its own blockchain mainnet and is planning to support the development of dApp services beyond its existing platform.
On these lines, the company is actively setting up developer bases, expediting talent acquisition, and making additions to Unblock and Blockchain Lab in South Korea and Japan.
The announcement comes on the heels of the official launch of LINE’s blockchain subsidiary ‘Unblock’. The new unit will focus on blockchain education and market research and help the expansion of South Korean virtual currencies to Japan and Southeast Asia. LINE’s mobile platform subsidiary LINE Plus also suggested at the time that Unblock could issue its own virtual currency and act as an exchange.
