Mega-popular communication app LINE has come a long way since launch in summer 2011 in Japan, with many people speculating about a possible IPO coming soon.
And now the cat is out of the bag, it seems: Japanese business daily The Nikkei is reporting on its website it learned LINE Corp., the company behind the app, is planning to go public at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
According to the report, LINE is considering to go public in summer 2014 with an expected market cap of 800 billion yen to 1 trillion yen (roughly US$8-10 billion).
LINE currently boasts 270 million registered users worldwide, with Japan being the clear stronghold (over 48 million accounts).
The Nikkei says that LINE Corp. will likely use the capital raised to develop new apps and to intensify advertising.
