LINE named one of WEF’s global growth firms

MANILA, Philippines - The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently announced LINE Corp., owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, as one of the “global growth companies” this year for achieving rapid growth and expansion in East Asia.

For the first time, Manila was chosen to host the 23rd WEF on East Asia, highlighting the country’s fast-paced economic growth and its capacity to sustain business ties among public and private firms.

LINE was included in WEF’s roster of companies described as trailblazers, shapers, and innovators in the region.

LINE, which has 430 million users worldwide, has maintained its commitment to delivering first-rate mobile messaging services to Filipinos. In 2014, the number of Internet users in the Philippines is expected to grow from 33 million to 41 million, making it a promising market for Internet-based applications like LINE.

Now that the government has been pushing its initiatives in making certain areas in Metro Manila Wi-Fi-ready, LINE has continued to push forward its interest in building strategic communication techniques to breach relationship among Filipinos.

This has helped LINE to be part of this year’s global growth companies, a recognition given to companies with leading performance.

“We are very grateful to be named as a global growth company by the WEF, and would like to express our utmost gratitude to all of our users and business partners for all of their support,” said Akira Morikawa, CEO of LINE Corp.

“LINE will not remain complacent with its current success and will continue to strive for new challenges until we can offer one of the world’s best services,” Morikawa added.

As LINE continues on its road to become a leading global service, it will continue to pursue new possibilities and aim for even further success.

“This prestigious recognition comes with long-term responsibility for the whole company,” said Greg Kim, head of LINE Philippines. “We are better motivated to continue what we have started and we hope that our efforts in the coming years will better serve our Filipino users.”

Global growth companies, comprising 360 companies in more than 60 nations, are granted the opportunity to network with leading figures from around the world in a variety of fields, including business, politics, and the academe.

By embarking on new business opportunities that transcend geographic and industry boundaries, and sharing their unique knowledge with one another, they are able to sustain further growth and expansion.

“When choosing entrants to our community of global growth companies, we assess companies on their business model, annual revenues and growth rates, executive leadership and market position,” said David Aikman, WEF managing director and head of new champions.

“LINE Corp. is a dynamic group with clear potential to shape the future in its relevant business sectors and so is a perfect fit to our (global growth companies’) community,” Aikman added.