What happened Shares of Line Corp. (NYSE: LN) jumped 26.6% on Wednesday after Reuters reported the messaging app company is in talks for a potential merger with SoftBank's Z Holdings (formerly known as Yahoo! Japan). Separately, Z Holdings stock rallied 9.2% today on the news. So what Z Holdings confirmed the talks to Reuters late Wednesday, while Line issued a statement that it is indeed "considering ways to improve its corporate value" -- though both companies insisted nothing is set in stone just yet. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. Now what With a combined market capitalization of nearly $30 billion as it stands -- and with a Japanese user base of more than 80 million for Line -- Z Holdings and Line together could represent a veritable force to tackle Japan's budding QR code payment app industry. But the news shouldn't be entirely surprising considering Softbank not only owns nearly half of Z Holdings' outstanding shares, but also acquired a majority (51%) stake in Line's Mobile telco segment early last year. That certainly doesn't guarantee the two companies will come to terms on a merger. But if they do, Reuters' sources suggested earlier Wednesday that it could happen by the end of this month. 10 stocks we like better than LINE CorporationWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now… and LINE Corporation wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Steve Symington has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Softbank Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source