LINE introduces Telegram-style Dapps to boost Web3 adoption in Asia

Reported by The Block: LINE’s Web3 venture launched Dapps and a Dapp portal on the messaging platform that is widely used across Asia.

LINE NEXT aims to have over 1,000 blockchain apps on the platform by the end of 2025.

LINE NEXT, the Web3 venture under one of Asia’s largest messaging apps, today launched its first batch of Dapps that users can access via LINE mobile messenger, aiming to drive large-scale Web3 adoption in Asia.

The applications, named Mini Dapps, encompass games, social media services and other Web3-enabled content. These applications are powered by Kaia, the Layer 1 blockchain that LINE NEXT launched jointly with Kakao, South Korea's most-used messaging platform.

The tech giant launched Mini Dapps alongside Dapp Portal, a platform built to help LINE users explore Dapps and trade assets such as NFTs.

The first batch of Dapps on LINE include "Captain Tsubasa -RIVALS-," a game based on the popular Japanese manga of the same name, and a healthcare and wellness Dapp called Superz. LINE NEXT said in a statement that it aims to launch more than 1,000 Dapps this year.

Last year, Telegram successfully launched Dapps on its platform. TON blockchain-based games on Telegram, such as Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, grew massively popular, driving the network’s user base from 4 million to 128 million in just one year.

“A true popularization of Web3 services depends on their accessibility and usability," Youngsu Ko, CEO of LINE NEXT, said in the statement. "Mini Dapps based on LINE Messenger will become the first large-scale Web3 user adoption case in Asia.”

LINE is a dominant messaging platform in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, estimated to have around 200 million users around the world, according to a 2024 report from Chosun Ilbo. 

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