Japan’s LINE Corporation has bought WebPay Holdings, the firm behind a credit card payment platform of the same name, to “further solidify” its payment service, LINE Pay, which lets users make payments via its popular messaging app.

The WebPay platform is for developers who work with e-commerce sites, online services and mobile applications.

According to LINE, WebPay offers “cutting-edge technology, an easy to integrate API, short review periods and a secure payment system.”

At a conference held in Tokyo last year, LINE had announced plans “to become a platform for everyday life for all users both online and offline under the theme of ‘LIFE’” and earlier this week it set up a $42M investment fund to step up these efforts.

The WebPay acquisition is also part of the LIFE strategy. “LINE will endeavour to build a solid foundation for the LIFE platform by leveraging the payment system technologies and know-how of WebPay to facilitate the enhancement of services, the improvement of usability, and the expansion of business,” the company said.