Seoul, South Korea, November 5th, 2026, Chainwire — Digital IP entertainment company IPX (formerly LINE FRIENDS) plans to introduce a payment service using 'minicoin' at LINE FRIENDS online and offline stores. With a phased rollout targeted for the first half of 2027, the service is expected to connect LINE FRIENDS' online and offline commerce with the Web3 ecosystem, offering customers in Korea and abroad an additional payment option for purchasing physical products with minicoin.

The initiative is intended to make digital asset payments a seamless extension of the fan experience, linking fans' engagement with character IP directly to the point of purchase and connecting IPX's online and offline commerce with a Web3-based digital ecosystem.

For more than a decade, IPX has brought its character IPs to life through products, content, and pop-ups, extending these experiences across online and offline channels worldwide. Building on its accumulated expertise in IP and retail, the company positions the new service as a digital IP commerce model that integrates digital asset payment technology into IP merchandise purchases. In doing so, IPX is extending its IP experiences beyond content and merchandise into the payments layer.

Minicoin is a utility coin developed and issued by Mini Labs under an official license granted by IPX to use its globally popular 'minini' character IP. The coin's blockchain-based ecosystem is designed to transparently record activities generated through interactions between IP and fans — including creation, consumption, and transactions — and link them to registration and settlement processes. The licensing structure itself shapes the coin's role: its everyday utility is anchored in characters that already circulate through IPX's global product, content, and pop-up channels, tying the token to fan activity around an established consumer IP rather than to a standalone platform.

The minicoin payment service is planned for a phased rollout across LINE FRIENDS stores in Korea and abroad, with deployment targeted for the first half of 2027. Once live, the service is expected to offer international visitors and overseas fans additional payment options. K-POP SQUARE, which opened in the heart of Seoul's Hongdae district in June 2025, welcomed over one million visitors in its first year, approximately 80% of whom were international fans from more than 90 countries. As digital assets gain traction as payment methods worldwide, the service is expected to see strong demand. The announcement did not detail the order in which markets will come online or per-store timing, so the shape of the phased deployment — and how minicoin's recorded fan activities connect to registration and settlement once purchases begin — are the operational specifics worth tracking as the first-half 2027 target approaches.

“This service rollout marks an important step toward using digital assets to purchase physical merchandise, beyond trading and use within specific platforms,” said an IPX official. “We believe that the value of IP can grow further as it expands beyond connecting with fans through content and products to finding new ways to engage with them across the digital IP ecosystem. We will continue to explore new IP business opportunities that connect IP, fans, and commerce together in this evolving landscape.”

About IPX (F.K.A. LINE FRIENDS)

IPX is the new corporate name of LINE FRIENDS, a global character brand that started with original characters including BROWN, CONY, and SALLY, created for use as stickers for the leading mobile messenger app LINE and its 200 million active users worldwide. IPX has announced a new business strategy to accelerate the global expansion of its IP businesses by diversifying its IP portfolios targeting all ages and advancing its digital and retail business. The company provides diverse IP experiences including BT21 (BTS), ZO&FRIENDS (G-DRAGON), minini, and JOGUMAN, and has built its IP-based business through partnerships with global companies including Netflix (original animated series) and HoYoverse (Genshin Impact), reaching more than 50 million Millennials and Generation Z consumers worldwide. IPX currently operates in 18 markets around the world, including Seoul, New York, LA, Tokyo, and Shanghai, and runs 8 online sales platforms.

Media contacts: Jiwoo Hong, Manager, Burson (jiwoo.hong@bursonglobal.com); Hanna Park, Sr. Director, Burson (hanna.park@bursonglobal.com).

Source: Metaverse Post