Digital IP entertainment company IPX, formerly LINE FRIENDS, announced on November 5, 2026 that it 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 initiative is intended to connect LINE FRIENDS' online and offline commerce with the Web3 ecosystem and offer customers in South Korea and abroad an additional payment option for physical merchandise.
Minicoin is a utility coin developed and issued by Mini Labs under an official license from IPX to use the globally popular minini character IP. The blockchain-based ecosystem is designed to transparently record activities generated through interactions between IP and fans, including creation, consumption, and transactions, and to link those activities to registration and settlement processes.
The rollout is planned across LINE FRIENDS stores in Korea and international markets. IPX highlighted K-POP SQUARE in Seoul's Hongdae district, which opened in June 2025 and welcomed more than one million visitors in its first year. Approximately 80 percent of those visitors were international fans from more than 90 countries. The company said it expects strong demand as digital assets gain traction as payment methods worldwide.
An IPX official stated that the service rollout marks an important step toward using digital assets to purchase physical merchandise, beyond trading and use within specific platforms. The company said it will continue to explore new IP business opportunities that connect IP, fans, and commerce in the evolving digital IP ecosystem.
