In Taiwan, LINE goes beyond communication and is widely used for information gathering, business, and other aspects of daily life. Built on this foundation of LINE as everyday social infrastructure, LINE Bank Taiwan was launched as an internet-only bank enabling users to complete a wide range of financial servicesーfrom account opening to loans, payment, investment, foreign currency, and insuranceーusing only a smartphone.
In this interview, we spoke with LINE Bank Taiwan Chairman Hwang and CEO Morris about the background to the bank's establishment, the factors driving its growth, its organizational culture, and its future outlook.

LINE × Ease of Use × Speed: Launch of Taiwan's No. 1 Internet-Only Bank

―― First, could you tell us about LINE Bank Taiwan?

Hwang：
LINE Bank Taiwan is an internet-only bank that launched its services in Taiwan in April 2021. In addition to core banking functions such as deposits, transfers, and personal loans, it offers a wide range of financial services, including LINE-linked accounts, foreign exchange, domestic and international remittances, debit and credit cards, trading in mutual funds, ETFs and US stocks, as well as travel and auto insurance. Notably, within less than five years of its launch, the bank turned profitable in December 2025 and has sustained consecutive monthly profits for the past three months as of February 2026.

The key feature is that almost all services can be completed entirely within the LINE app. From the LINE app that is used every day, users can seamlessly access account opening, balance checks, transfers, buy and sell US Dollar, and purchase insurance ーwithout installing another app or visiting a physical branch.

Additionally, these services are available 24/7, 365 days a year. For example, personal loans are fully automated from application and screening to disbursement, allowing users to apply for a loan through the "Easy Loan" process to typically receive funds in around 45 minutes, even late at night. Money transfers can be completed in as little as three to five seconds, offering a level of speed that is another major appeal.

――What was the background behind the launch of LINE Bank Taiwan?

Hwang:：
"Life on LINE" expresses LINE's approach to supporting a wide range of daily activitiesーincluding communication, shopping, news, entertainment, and payments－within LINE, serving as social infrastructure. Among these, finance is an important area and one that is most closely connected to users' daily lives.

Taiwan is a particularly important market for LINE. Of its population of 23 million, approximately 22 million people use LINE. We believed that by offering banking services within LINE, which had already become part of everyday life, we could deliver a safer and more convenient financial experience. That idea became our major starting point.

Around the same time, the Taiwanese government began issuing internet banking licenses in 2019, and fintech was rapidly expanding in markets such as China and the United States. Riding these favorable conditions, we decided to pursue an internet banking license in Taiwan.
As a result, we obtained the license and launched LINE Bank Taiwan in April 2021.

Our goal is to leverage LINE's diverse ecosystem to provide a wide range of financial services on a one-stop basis and to make LINE Bank Taiwan the users' primary bank account. We aim to create a world where "financial services are always available wherever you can connect with LINE," and to embody the concept of "Banking in Your Hand."

――Could you tell us about your users?

Morris：
Since its launch in April 2021, LINE Bank Taiwan has surpassed 2.2 million users in less than five years as of February 2026.
Its unique business model－having a bank built directly into LINEーhas naturally integrated financial services into everyday life and earned strong support from users in Taiwan. Today, one in four people in their 20s to 40s in Taiwan uses LINE Bank Taiwan, making it Taiwan's No. 1 internet-only bank.

The bank has also received strong international recognition, including being selected for the Global Top 100 Digital Banks for four consecutive years and for the Fintech Innovators Asia, among others.

――What do you think were the key factors behind LINE Bank Taiwan's growth into the No. 1 internet-only bank in Taiwan?

Hwang:：
One of the biggest factors was our ability to deliver a seamless and easy experience. Built on LINE as a part of everyday social infrastructure, it allows users to access a full range of banking services with a single tap and complete everythingーfrom opening an account and applying for loans to managing deposits.

Another major strength was our ability to reach users who already use LINE on a daily basis directly and efficiently through LINE services. By leveraging this environment, we have continued to swiftly deliver financial services that combine convenience and innovation, which has driven our growth into the No. 1 internet-only bank.

Morris：
We understood from the outset that success in this business would be difficult without a strong customer base. That is why, from the very beginning, we actively approached LINE users and focused on customer acquisition.
As a result, we were able to acquire 1.1 million users within just one year of launching the service.

――What initiatives are you focusing on in order to drive further growth at LINE Bank Taiwan?

Hwang：
There are two main areas we are particularly focusing on.
The first is expanding our loan-related services, which account for the majority of our revenue. We are continuously refining these services to make loan and deposit services more convenient and faster for users.

The second is to continue providing high-quality services across a broader range of areas beyond deposits and loans, including insurance, securities, mutual funds, stock markets, ETF investments, cross-border remittances, and foreign exchange services.

Morris：
We are also placing strong emphasis on further increasing awareness of LINE Bank Taiwan. While we currently serve 2.2 million users, we believe there is still significant room for growth.
By strengthening brand recognition and enabling people to better understand our services and products, we aim to become a bank that even those who feel uncertain about internet-only banks can use with confidence.

From a Bank You Visit to One That Fits in Your Hand--Giving Users the Freedom to Choose Their Relationship with Money

――How has the introduction of LINE Bank Taiwan changed users' relationship with money and their daily lives?

Morris：
Even before LINE Bank Taiwan launched, traditional banks in Taiwan offered internet banking. In reality, however, these services functioned largely as a supplement to in-person banking, and the perception of banks as physical destinations remained prevalent.

LINE Bank Taiwan has largely changed this perception. Many people use LINE Bank even in remote towns and outlying islands with no physical branches. By delivering complex financial services in a simple way through LINE, users can now access the financial services they need anytime and anywhere, echoing the principle of financial inclusion. This has significantly reduced the time required for procedures and allowed people to use their daily time more effectively, which is a major change.

In this way, LINE Bank Taiwan has transformed financial services from something that involves time and constraints into something that can be used freely at one's own pace and continues to evolve as a presence that supports users in their daily lives.

――We understand that you are also making active use of AI. How exactly are you using it?

Morris：
We currently use AI mainly in two areas.
The first is fraud detection. AI automatically monitors a predictive list of suspicious accounts every minute and continuously manages them. Identifying risks in advance helps protect users' assets.

The second is customer support at our call centers. Thanks to automated responses by AI, the response time to user inquiries has been shortened to an average of eight seconds. This has improved the efficiency of service delivery and has also led to increased user satisfaction. In addition, we have succeeded in reducing training time for call center operations by more than 50%.

The use of AI is highly appreciated by users, and we plan to further expand its application to achieve cost reductions and create new revenue opportunities.
Specifically, we are exploring the use of generative AI in the loan approval process to enable more accurate decision-making.
In the future, we also aim to introduce AI agents into mobile banking, creating an autonomous financial experience in which users can intuitively access services based on their needs.

Making "Banking in Your Hand" a RealityーAn Organization That Moves Fast and Scales Big with a Small Team

What kind of organization and culture has taken root at LINE Bank Taiwan?

Hwang：
Unlike traditional banks, LINE Bank Taiwan has adopted a flat organizational structure with as few layers of hierarchy as possible. One of our defining characteristics is that we value close collaboration among specialized teams across different domains, working together as equals in our day-to-day work.

Hwang：
We place great importance on keeping the organization from becoming larger than necessary and on maintaining lean, clear communication channels.
For example, I always encourage everyone to share their views openly in meetings. This is because I believe that each individual's decisions ultimately feed into decision-making across the entire organization.
We also place strong emphasis on maintaining a constant focus on users. We value an environment in which each person takes initiative, works in small, specialized teams, operates in a flat structure, and moves with speed.

――As Chairperson and CEO, are there any principles you value most?

Hwang：
We place importance on being sensitive to market changes and user needs. We constantly discuss how to reflect these changes in our services, how to respond to user needs, and how to deliver new value.

Morris:：
As CEO, I consider it essential to closely monitor user responses and evaluations of our services and to make data-driven decisions.

I repeatedly emphasize to employees the importance of staying connected to users and the market and remaining sensitive to competitors. By always understanding where we stand and continuing to stay attuned to how users feel about our services, we can identify areas for improvement and explore new services.
Furthermore, it is also important to foster an environment that encourages innovation. By combining a strong commitment to users with swift action, we can achieve sustainable growth even in a rapidly changing environment.
This is an organizational culture we intend to continue valuing and developing going forward.

Moving Into the Next Growth Stage, Built on Resilience

――What direction is LINE Bank Taiwan aiming for going forward?

Morris：
Over the long term, our top priority is to strengthen the resilience of our servicesーtheir ability to recover from disruption and remain robustーwhile ensuring sustainable operations. In the shorter term, our goal is to further strengthen our financial foundation.

Profitability is steadily improving, and we receive a lot of positive feedback from users. We also feel that users are able to use our services with confidence and peace of mind.
By reinforcing both our short-term and long-term initiatives, we will respond even more effectively to the digital financial needs of a new generation of users.

――As CEO of LINE Financial, how do you see the future?

Hwang：
Our highest priority is to build a structure in which each subsidiary, including LINE Bank Taiwan, establishes a solid, profitable foundation and grows autonomously. At the same time, it is also important to aim for a clear No. 1 position in each market.
While LINE Bank Taiwan has already established itself as the No. 1 internet-only bank in Taiwan, competition with major megabanks continues. We will continue to pursue sustainable growth going forward.

While LINE Bank Taiwan has already established itself as the No. 1 internet-only bank in Taiwan, competition with major megabanks continues. We will continue to pursue sustainable growth going forward.
In Taiwan and Thailand, we operate a wide range of financial businesses, including banking, payments, and loan services, and we are constantly exploring opportunities to further evolve our services and expand our businesses in each country. We are also considering new business opportunities in other countries. In Indonesia, we operate LINE Bank through a partnership between Hana Bank and LINE.

Beyond traditional finance, we are also closely looking at new financial areas such as Web3, including decentralized services based on blockchain technology, and stablecoins, digital currencies designed to maintain price stability. By further advancing the use of AI and data and deepening integration with the LINE ecosystem, we aim to deliver even greater value to users.

This is an introduction video of the LINE Bank Taiwan office. Please be sure to check out the interview with Hwang and Morris, along with a look inside the office and the LINE Bank Taiwan team.

Interview date: November 18,2025 ・March 10, 2026
Written by: LY Corporation Story Editorial Team
Photos by: Yoshinobu Hibiya
*The affiliations and titles in the article are as of the time of the interview.