SoftBank mulls tie-up with messaging app Line, acquisition eyed

SoftBank Corp. is considering a broad tie-up with messaging app provider Line Corp., with their talks including a possible acquisition, a source close to the matter said Wednesday.SoftBank is looking to form a tie-up with Line through its group company Z Holdings Corp. and possibly to merge it with Line, which has a market capitalization of about 1.1 trillion yen ($10 billion), by buying Line shares from South Korean internet giant Naver Corp., the source said.SoftBank is the mobile phone service subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp., while Z Holdings is the parent of portal site operator Yaho…READ FULL ARTICLE