OSLO, NORWAY– 26 January 2021 – Reference is made to the notice made public by Zwipe AS (the "Company") on 7 January 2021 at 16:29 of an extraordinary general meeting in the Company scheduled to be held on 28 January 2021 at 10:00 CET. Due to the recent increase in the applicable Covid-19 restrictions, the Company has decided that the meeting will be held with only digital participation. No physical participation will be facilitated.
If you have registered your interest in accordance with the notice of the extraordinary meeting and want to participate, please send a request via e-mail to the Company to ir@zwipe.com by CET 16:00 on 27 January 2021 to receive an invitation.
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Euronext Growth Market in Oslo and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on 26 January 2021 at 11:30 CEST.
Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 528 00 399
For more information contact: Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO, +47 991 66 135 ir@zwipe.com
About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 07 January 2021 - The board of directors of Zwipe AS call for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 28 January 2021 at 10:00 CET.
Please find enclosed the notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting.
Following the capital increase in September and November, the nomination committee and the board of directors (the "Board") in Zwipe have assessed the need for changes to the nomination committee, so that the new nomination committee may assess the need for changes to the board of directors prior to the annual general meeting in 2021.
As part of its work on proposing new candidates for election to the nomination committee, the nomination committee, consisting of Paal Raaholt, Magnus Berner and Jörgen Lantto, has been in contact with several key persons related to Zwipe. The nomination committee has been in contact with shareholders, in particular the new major shareholder Vasastaden, as well as previous major shareholder (and now second largest shareholder) Lars Windfeldt. The nomination committee has also been in contact with the Board and the company's management, prior to presenting their proposal to the Board.
Resulting from these contacts, the nomination committee proposes that a new nomination committee is elected, consisting of Niclas Eriksson (Vasastaden), Lars Windfeldt and Jörgen Lantto.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Zwipe, I welcome the fact that our new major shareholder Vasastaden, a renowned Swedish institutional investor, wishes to take an active role as member of Zwipe’s nomination committee through its Chairman, Niclas Eriksson. I also welcome that Lars Windfeldt, who has been a major shareholder for Zwipe since 2011, wishes to join the nomination committee as its Chairman. The fact that our two largest shareholders wish to invest their time and energy into supporting the company, besides their capital investments, is very encouraging” said Jörgen Lantto, chairman of the Board of Zwipe.
As a result of this, the Board decided to call for an Extraordinary General Meeting, and proposed the following agenda:
Opening of the general meeting by the chair of the Board. Registration of meeting shareholders
Election of a meeting chairperson and person to co-sign the minutes together with the chairperson
Approval of the notice and the agenda
Election of members to the nomination committee
Proposed decisions from the Board (extracts only, please see the attachments to the notice for the full proposals)
Matter no. 4: Election of members to the nomination committee
In accordance with the proposal from the nomination committee and the support from the board of directors, the Board propose the following new nomination committee is elected:
Niclas Eriksson
Lars Windfeldt
Jörgen Lantto
Further it is proposed that Lars Windfeldt is appointed as the chair of the nomination committee.
Notice of attendance, in person or by proxy, shall be given no later than 27 January 2021 at 16:00 CET. Shareholders are encouraged to register via the following link here.
Alternatively, the attached form may be sent by e-mail to genf@dnb.no, or regular post to DNB Bank ASA, Verdipapirservice, NO-0021 Oslo.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, at 16:30 CET on 7 January 2021.
Season's Greetings from André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe
OSLO, NORWAY - 23 DECEMBER 2020 - Zwipe is enjoying strong traction in the payments industry with solid operational and commercial progress this fall and early winter.
Leading stakeholders in the global payments industry are engaging with Zwipe because of our full dedication to biometric payment solutions, and our leading technology platform, Zwipe Pay ONE. To support our global efforts, we have recruited seasoned experts, both commercial and technical, from leading companies to accelerate our mission of bringing the next generation contactless payment solutions globally.
Acceleration in partnerships and issuer engagements
Our collaboration with TietoEVRY, a leader in payment services in the Nordics and Baltics, has already proven highly effective in accelerating commercialisation of Zwipe Pay ONE. Within weeks of our go-to-market agreement we jointly secured the first pilot on Zwipe Pay ONE with OP, the largest Financial Services Group in Finland. The bank aims to bring biometric payment cards to the market after the pilot. At the same time, many more dialogues with banks are ongoing, boding well for further commercialization in Europe and beyond.
Consolidating our global delivery footprint
We continued to leverage and expand our strong global partner network. In the last six weeks alone, we consolidated our position in the Middle East significantly, cementing and finalising our technology and go-to-market partnerships with three leading players in card payments, areeba, Inkript and VeriTech. Our partners have already started to put biometric payments on the agenda of leading issuers in the Middle East. We are also gaining momentum in other fast-moving regions. During the year, we also announced five new smart card manufacturing customers (in Asia, LATAM and Europe) and some first small orders.
Continuous progress equals de-risking
Monday 21 December, Zwipe and Idemia announced that the next generation biometric card secure chip they are co-investing in, has obtained the ICCN security certificate from EMVCo, as planned. Zwipe has worldwide exclusive rights to this disruptive single-chip biometric technology which, combined with our comprehensive biometric system on card offering and our deep technical and ecosystem expertise, is what makes Zwipe the natural “One Stop Shop” for all smart card manufacturers aiming to meet the soaring demand for a more convenient, truly contact free payment experience. The ICCN certification is one important step further in de-risking our solution towards the long awaited launch in 2021.
Looking ahead
In 2020 we have experienced increased interest in biometric payment cards with commercial activities picking up and first rollouts finally commencing on certified biometric card platforms. We look forward to more such rollouts during 2021 as the now mobilized ecosystem gains pace.
Market studies from the Nordics, the UK and the United States show strong demand from consumers for safer and more secure contact-free payments. A vast majority of consumers want their next payment cards to be biometric, and 1 in 2 is even prepared to pay a meaningful fee to the issuers for all the benefits that next generation cards deliver. We seem to face a broad, mass market demand, rather than a niche market demand only. Consequently, the long-term potential of the market for biometric payment cards (BPCs) seems to be much larger than previously anticipated. The recent ABI Research report on BPCs pointed to the likely long-term scenario that biometric payment cards will eventually take over from today’s contactless cards. In fact, I believe that biometrics will be as ubiquitous in payment cards towards the end of this decade as it is in mobile phones today.
We announced the first commitment for a pilot on Zwipe Pay ONE in 2020 and expect many more to come, laying the foundations for the first commercial deployments in 2021. While COVID-19 did cause some delays across some parts of our ecosystem, we also experienced an unprecedented acceleration in our engagements with issuers and card manufacturers in H2 2020. We are confident that our continuous progress and strategic go-to-market partnerships, as well as our technological leadership in biometric payment, are laying the foundation for a long journey of value creation for our customers, our shareholders and for society at large. We remain focused on securing important commercial wins going forward.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank each valued member of my outstanding team at Zwipe for their relentless efforts and to thank our customers, partners and shareholders for their immense faith in Zwipe.
On behalf of everyone at Zwipe, I wish you all safe and happy holidays. See you all in 2021!
Here is an overview of our recent major announcements:
Zwipe strengthens organization with top payments industry talents
Zwipe and VeriTech partner to deliver next generation contactless payments in Kuwait
Swedish consumer survey shows large interest in biometric payment cards in response to COVID-19
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY AND COURBEVOIE, FRANCE – 21 December 2020 - IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, has obtained, as planned, the ICCN security certificate from EMVCo, for the next generation biometric card secure chip, for which ZWIPE has secured worldwide distribution rights[1].This is a major step forward in delivering on our joint vision of an affordable biometric card for all.
In a context where global demand for contactless payments is booming, biometric cards are best placed to ensure secure, hygienic and convenient payments. The exclusive partnership and distribution agreement between IDEMIA and ZWIPE aims to promote biometric card as the reference for tomorrow’s contactless payments.
The ICCN[2] security certificate is a key milestone towards the next generation biometric card and confirms IDEMIA's outstanding expertise in the field of payments and biometrics. Our biometric payment chip complies with the most demanding performance and security criteria for a safe and convenient payment experience.
Ready-to-roll-out in the second half of 2021, the new generation biometric cards, FCODE Gen2 for IDEMIA, and the ZWIPE Pay ONE technology platform for ZWIPE, will deliver state-of-the art performance and security, as per market and schemes requirements. IDEMIA leverages its unique combination of payment, biometrics technologies and expertise to drive adoption, and accelerate market growth together with ZWIPE.
“With this new generation of biometric cards, we want to shape the future of payment and to offer an unparalleled and affordable technological experience, accessible to all. We are proud that IDEMIA's cutting-edge technology can deliver a new, more secure user experience to the market. Our ambition is to make biometric card a reality and more than ever, we are on the right track”, said Amanda Gourbault, IDEMIA’s Executive Vice-President Financial Institutions.
“The ICCN security certificate from EMVCo is an important step towards offering ZWIPE Pay ONE to our global customer network. This disruptive biometric technology platform, combined with our deep technical and market expertise, is what makes ZWIPE the natural One Stop Shop for all smart card manufacturers aiming to meet the soaring demand from issuers and consumers for a more convenient, truly contact free payment experience”, said André Løvestam, CEO of ZWIPE.
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About ZWIPE
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free.
To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com / Follow @zwipe on Twitter
For further information, please contact André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 / ir@zwipe.com
About IDEMIA
IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.
Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.
For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IDEMIAGroup on Twitter
Press contact: Hanna Sebbah, idemia@havas.com /+33 (0) 6 63 73 30 30
[1] IDEMIA and ZWIPE partner to offer a disruptive biometric payments card platform, September 2019
[1]IDEMIA, ZWIPE and IDEX achieve key milestone towards next generation biometric card platform, April 2020
[2] ICCN: Integrated Circuit Certificate Number, a unique number that identifies the EMVCo compliance certificate for an IC
OSLO, NORWAY – 08 December 2020 – Zwipe, a leading biometric fintech company, is pleased to confirm that it has appointed John Goodale, formerly Senior Vice President, Sales Operations at TSYS International, as its new Chief Sales Officer, Andy Saines, formerly Sales Director at Giesecke + Devrient, as VP Key Accounts and Anders Bigseth, formerly PR Lead at Huawei Norway, as VP Marketing and Communications.
Mr. Goodale joins Zwipe in January 2021 after spending nearly two decades at TSYS, one of the world’s largest payments processors, serving in a variety of senior business development roles where his business acumen, coupled with his technical knowledge, has enabled him to develop compelling sales propositions and win new business across a broad portfolio of financial products and services all over the world. Mr. Goodale will lead Zwipe’s engagement and conversion efforts with smart card manufacturers, while also supporting engagement with issuers and selected go-to-market partners to further strengthen Zwipe’s position in the global biometric payments market.
Mr. Saines joins Zwipe from January 2021 from Giesecke + Devrient Mobile Security, one of the world’s largest card manufacturers, where he served for nearly five years as UK Sales Director. Before that, he spent 18 years at Entrust Datacard, of which the last 5 years were as EMEA Sales Director. He brings with him extensive smart card industry experience and deep knowledge of card issuance solutions. As VP of Key Accounts, Mr. Saines will be responsible for driving deeper relations and business with strategic accounts.
Mr. Bigseth joined Zwipe as of 1 December 2020 with an award-winning background in public relations and communications, serving in a variety of senior communication positions at DNB, Teller (formerly Visa Norway), Telia and most recently Huawei, where he led public relations efforts in Norway. As VP Marketing and Communications, Mr. Bigseth will utilize his extensive communications experience and media network to further Zwipe’s strong position within the fast-growing segment of next generation contactless payments.
“The biometric payments marketplace is evolving quickly, and we see a strong increase in the demand for Zwipe’s products and services globally. I am delighted that we have been able to attract such qualified and talented new team members from such prominent companies. This is a testament to our strong position and future outlook,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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OSLO, NORWAY and KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT – 03 December 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and VeriTech, the leading payment and banking technology solutions provider in Kuwait, have partnered to address the growing demand for biometric payment solutions in Kuwait and across the Middle East.
VeriTech is the market leading provider of EMV payment card personalization, self-service kiosks, POS and Mobile NFC and Host Card Emulation to banks in Kuwait. Its vision is to be acknowledged as the trusted banking and payment distributor of leading next generation payment solutions across EMEA, whilst exceeding its partners and stakeholders’ expectations.
Speaking on the partnership Shakeel Khokhar, CEO of VeriTech, said “Kuwait has been a test bed and early adopter of innovative payment offerings for many years. Having seen firsthand other solutions in the market, we are excited to embrace Zwipe Pay ONE as our preferred biometric payment card product,” adding “the urgency with which issuers are demanding more contact-free payment alternatives is really driving interest and investment in this area with some of the largest banks in the region who we count as customers.”
Through this partnership, Zwipe will provide key components for the Zwipe Pay ONE biometric payments platform and take lead on providing advisory services directly to banks and card issuers focusing on user experience in close collaboration with VeriTech.
“This partnership is another big step forward for Zwipe in driving our continued expansion in the Middle East where we have a strong network of technology partners in place. Working closely with VeriTech, we will be harnessing both companies’ unique technology, product and market assets, including VeriTech’s close relationships with leading banks in Kuwait, to offer innovative biometric payment solutions” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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OSLO, NORWAY– 23 November 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe confirms that its Zwipe Pay ONE platform will be incorporated in the recently announced market pilot with TietoEVRY and OP Financial Group. OP is Finland’s largest financial services group offering banking, non-life insurance and wealth management services for over four million customers. TietoEVRY is the leading provider of software and digital banking services and a leader in card payment services in Nordic & Baltic region. Subject to a successful pilot, OP will consider launching biometric payment cards.
See announcement from TietoEVRY here.
Based on a disruptive single silicon payment platform, Zwipe Pay ONE is a first-of-its-kind solution delivering superior energy efficiency and excellent biometric performance at highly competitive prices.
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obliged to make public pursuant to the Continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market, Nasdaq First North Growth Market and the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 09:20 CET on 23 November 2020.
OSLO, NORWAY – 19 November 2020- The share capital increase of 1,000,000 new shares in Zwipe AS, as resolved by the board of the company on 28 October 2020, has today been registered in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The new share capital is NOK 3,290,657.60, and the new number of shares and votes is 32,906,576.
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, at 10:00 CET on 19 November 2020.
OSLO, NORWAY – 29 October 2020 –
Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement from Zwipe AS dated 28 October 2020 regarding the final results of the subsequent offering, and the allocations of offer shares that were made to primary insiders.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards and wearables that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For further information please contact: Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO, +47 991 66 135 ir@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY, BAGHDAD, IRAQ and BEIRUT, LEBANON – 17 MARCH 2022 – Zwipe, Al Mansour Bank and areeba have confirmed that they will pilot Biometric Payment Cards built on the Zwipe Pay platform in Iraq. This will be one of the earliest pilots of next generation contactless payment cards in the country.
Al Mansour Bank is a private bank with Qatar National Bank (QNB) as its majority owner. The bank was established in 2005 and today it has more than 10 branches across Iraq. The bank is always seeking innovative products to introduce to the Iraqi market.
Speaking on this development, Mr. Roger Abboud, Head of Retail, AI Mansour Bank said, “Post pandemic, we have seen strong demand for PIN-free and touch-less payment solutions as they are safer and much more secure. We are delighted to partner with Zwipe, a leading provider of biometric payment technologies and areeba, a respected leader in innovative payment services. Biometric Payment Cards will uplift our payment portfolio and enable us to deliver excellent service quality to our customers. We are now working with both partners to launch pilots in the coming months.”
Mr. Issam Adra, General Manager of areeba Iraq said: “We are excited to be part of Al Mansour Bank’s biometric payment cards initiative and confident to deliver a world-class experience and security to the bank’s customers. areeba has for a long-time pioneered payment innovations that uplift customer loyalty, create unique differentiation and strong business cases for banks. Biometric payment cards will be instrumental in continuing this effort.”
Ramzi Saboury, General Manager of Zwipe in the MENA Region added, “The banking sector in Iraq is demonstrating a great appetite for innovation. We are thrilled with our collaboration with Al Mansour Bank on biometric payment cards together with areeba, one of our key partners in the region.”
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 93 43 69 52 info@zwipe.com
About Al Mansour Bank
Al Mansour Bank is a private bank with Qatar National Bank (QNB) as its majority owner. The bank was established in 2005 and today it has more than 10 branches across Iraq. The bank is always seeking innovative products to introduce to the Iraqi market.
For more information, visit www.mbi.iq
About areeba
areeba is an electronic payment technology company licensed by Visa and MasterCard and has an agreement with American Express & Discover. Established in 2017, areeba adopts the latest technologies and provides solutions and payment services to banks, governments and merchants to suit their aspirations and needs.
areeba offers services tailored to global requirements, from card issuance and management, non-contact payment solutions, contactless and mobile payment. It also provides merchants and governments with the latest e-commerce platform and point-of-sale machines that adopt the highest standards and safety systems. areeba operates a wide range of loyalty programs, including collecting points and miles, cashback programs, and providing consultancy services for the planning, design and development of electronic products and payment solutions.
For more information, visit www.areeba.com, or @areebalebanon on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries & cultures to make convenience safe & secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for both payment and physical & logical access control and ID solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and TRIPOLI, LIBYA – 8th MARCH 2022 – Zwipe and Mediterranean Bank are pleased to confirm that they will pilot Biometric Payment Cards built on the Zwipe Pay platform, making it the first pilot of biometric payment cards in Libya.
Mediterranean Bank is a medium-sized bank in Libya, focusing on corporates, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs, with branches in all major Libyan cities like Benghazi, Tripoli and others. The bank is keen to pilot Zwipe’s disruptive “single silicon” biometric payment card platform and assess its impact on making payment experience seamless and more secure for consumers. Libya is a key emerging market in Africa that is seeking innovation in its payment ecosystem with the objective to minimize fraud, corruption and uplift user experience.
Speaking on this development, Mr. Ahmed Nafo, Chief Information Officer at Mediterranean Bank said, “We are very pleased to partner with Zwipe, a leading technology brand in biometric payment cards. We are especially proud to be the first bank in Libya to introduce this world-class innovation. We want to ensure that our customers are extremely well protected when using payment cards and enjoy a great user experience. Our collaboration with Zwipe is well timed and strongly complements our vision to be a customer centric bank. We are looking forward to launching the pilot in Q2 2022 as a step to deployment of the cards later in the year.”
As part of this collaboration, Zwipe will train key stakeholders in the bank on all aspects of issuing and managing biometric payment cards. These cards will be delivered by one of the Zwipe certified smart card manufacturers in the region.
Ramzi Saboury, General Manager of Zwipe in the MENA Region said, “We are excited to enter the Libyan market with Mediterranean Bank and help them to pilot their next generation payment cards. In close collaboration with our regional partners, we will be supporting the bank through all the stages of the pilot and launch, ensuring the best experience for the bank’s consumers.”
For further information please contact:
André Løvestam, CEO, +47 93 43 69 52 info@zwipe.com
About Mediterranean Bank
Mediterranean Bank is a medium-sized bank in Libya, focusing on corporates, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs, with branches in all major Libyan cities like Benghazi, Tripoli and others.
For more info contact the bank at info@meditbank.ly, Tel: +218 61 9082167
or visit www.meditbank.ly
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries & cultures to make convenience safe & secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for both payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – 2 March 2022 – Placard, Australia’s largest card manufacturer and the only one qualified by all major card schemes, has selected biometric fintech pioneer Zwipe as its technology partner in pursuing the global market opportunities for biometric payment cards and other security products.
Placard delivers more than 100 million cards each year for the most established brands in the financial, retail, identification, government, loyalty and hospitality sectors. Placard’s success over the past two decades is accredited to high-quality products and a deep understanding of how new technology and product innovations can benefit customers and societies at large. With the disruptive Zwipe Pay platform, Placard will be able to deliver highly advanced and secure biometric card products that are also exceedingly user-friendly.
“We are excited about the opportunity that this innovative technology represents. The biometric solution provided by Zwipe combines break-through technologies and is the ideal platform for the next generation of payment cards. We believe that highly secure touch-less payments and PIN-free cards create a very compelling proposition for consumers and that our collaboration with Zwipe will provide differentiation and meaningful commercial value to our customers”, said Tess Barone, General Manager Sales & Marketing, Placard.
As part of this agreement, Zwipe will provide biometric technology, technical services and go-to-market commercialization support to enable Placard to manufacture biometric cards. The partners will engage with issuers and other enterprises to run pilots from Q2 2022, followed by full commercial rollouts.
Commenting on this partnership, André Løvestam, CEO at Zwipe, said: “We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Placard, one of the most prominent card manufacturers in the Australasian region. There is a clear growing interest in biometric payment cards globally and Placard will be vital in accelerating the deployment of biometric payment cards to banks and consumers. Zwipe will be supporting Placard’s clients during their launch processes to ensure the best customer experience and successful commercialization.”
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About Placard
Placard is an Australian organization which has been established since 1987, and is Australia’s largest secure plastic card manufacturer. Placard is continuously expanding, providing comprehensive card programs to over 500 clients and producing upwards of 100 million cards per year. Placard provides end to end card solutions and has a reputation of meeting its commitments to its clients and consistently achieves service levels beyond its clients’ expectations.
Placard’s secure manufacturing and bureau facilities are Visa, MasterCard, China Union Pay and American Express accredited to the highest level.
Placard’s core competencies lie in the design, printing, manufacture, personalization and mailing of ISO Standard secure and non-secure plastic cards. With Bureau services encompassing the latest Visa and MasterCard EMV standards for embossing, manufacture of Dual Interface cards, magnetic stripe encoding, indent printing, thermal print duable flat graphics, high quality Drop on Demand personalization, laser printing processes and intelligent matching & mailing services.
For more information, please visit www.placard.com.au or call Tess Barone, General Manager, Sales & Marketing on +61 3 9722 5200.
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit zwipe.com
For further information please contact:
André Løvestam, CEO, +47 934 36 952, info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and DOHA, QATAR – 28 FEBRUARY 2022 - Zwipe has partnered with Qatar Fintech Hub to bring Zwipe Pay enabled next generation biometric payment cards in the market. With this technology, the partners will deliver the highest level of security and safety with world-class user experience in making in-store payments.
Founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), Qatar FinTech Hub supports the growth of the fintech industry in Qatar in collaboration with leading players in FinTech ecosystem in Qatar and tie ups with major FinTech hubs including the UK, Turkey, Australia and Singapore. There is a big focus on partnering with technology pioneers who will make a difference in the payments space and bring it to a new level of experience.
Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al Mannai, Executive Director – Advisory, Qatar Development Bank, said: “I am very happy to announce the collaboration with Zwipe and welcome them as a valued member at the Qatar Fintech Hub. Zwipe is one of the leading technology brands for biometric payment solutions. Our innovation programs have witnessed tremendous success since their launch, and we are extremely happy to incorporate biometrics now. This collaboration with greatly enrich our technology competency and help Qatar to become a regional hub of fintech solutions, catering to the needs of the global market.”
As part of this collaboration, both parties will join forces to drive education, awareness building and engagement on biometric payment solutions in Qatar enabling issuers to pilot and launch next generation payment experience.
Speaking on this collaboration, General Manager for Zwipe in the MENA region, Ramzi Saboury said, “We are honored to be partnering with Qatar Fintech Hub as we believe this collaboration will further accelerate the adoption of Zwipe Pay enabled biometric payment cards among fintechs, issuers, processors and consumers. Qatar is a core market for us in the MENA region and we are already engaging with issuers in the country to pilot Zwipe Pay and be amongst the first in MENA to deploy the next Gen biometric cards.”
About QFTH
Launched by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) in May 2018, with the support of Qatar Central Bank (QCB), Qatar FinTech Hub (QFTH) is part of QDB’s FinTech vision and ambitions.
QFTH is a global FinTech hub with the purpose to support the development of the FinTech industry in Qatar. It aims to facilitate collaboration among the participants and stakeholders of the FinTech ecosystem and develop local and global relationships that will advance the bank’s FinTech vision.
QFTH brings together talented entrepreneurs, investors, and enablers to develop disruptive technologies so that great visions become reality.
QFTH offers a globally interconnected cluster, which gathers a vibrant community of FinTech entrepreneurs, industry experts, regulators, and investors.
To offer the best global opportunities, expertise, and develop a collaborative FinTech ecosystem, QFTH has tied up with global FinTech hubs, financial institutions, universities, technology partners, industry experts and others.
QFTH holds considerable opportunities for economic diversification, one of the four pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 that seeks to “transform Qatar into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development” by 2030.
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 934 36 952, info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 23 February 2022 – Zwipe AS today publishes its annual report 2021.
Highlights for 2021 include:
Financials
Significant events 2021
Significant events after the period
CEO comments
"2021 was a transformative year for Zwipe, preparing the ground for commercial success in 2022.
Our technology platform was upgraded to a cutting-edge, third-generation single silicon platform that provides best-in-class biometric performance at highly competitive cost levels. We prepared for submission of reference cards based on Zwipe Pay components to accredited laboratories for certification by both Visa and Mastercard. The submission has been made and, together with our biometric card manufacturing partners, the certification tests are proceeding according to plan. Based on this, and the core components in our Zwipe Pay platform being validated through Idemia’s certifications obtained in November 2021, we are confident we are closing in on certification as planned.
During 2021 we have also continued to build commercial momentum. We announced engagements with nine new smart card manufacturers and card personalization bureaus during the year, representing an annual volume above 250m payment cards. We also extended and expanded our partnership with TAG Systems, which delivers an additional 100+ million payment cards per annum. Each new partner and customer in our ecosystem contribute to increasing the value creation potential and reducing the risk for Zwipe and its stakeholders.
A great milestone for Zwipe in 2021 was the receipt of commercial orders from BCC, Inkript, and yet another card manufacturing customer for complete Zwipe Pay deliveries worth more than NOK 20m, to be delivered primarily in 2022.
As a complement to our "push" approach, targeting smart card manufacturers as our direct customers, we continued to broaden our go-to-market strategy with the "pull" approach. That means we are marketing the benefits of biometric cards to partners and indirect clients, such as financial institutions – our customers’ customers. This move has allowed us to accelerate awareness, create strong demand for our biometric payment option, take more control of our destiny, and significantly strengthen our strategic position and brand equity.
The results of these efforts started coming to fruition in 2021, when Zwipe announced commitments for 14 pilots with 11 new issuers, including a global Tier-1 bank that will pilot Zwipe Pay in three European markets. We also entered go-to-market and implementation partnerships with many payment processors and, most recently, a major US company that is one of the world’s largest payment services providers. Such partners enable us to leverage their long-term, trust-based relationships with hundreds of banks worldwide to further accelerate the deployment of biometric payment cards built on our platform. I often refer to this as “the Megaphone Effect”, which is fundamental to our pull strategy.
We have upgraded our sales-enabling services and tools to support these processes and our customers. For example, this has resulted in the launch of new services such as "Zwipe Experience" (pilot and launch program services) and Zwipe Insights (consumer research to gauge demand for biometric payments), to name a few. The ROI calculator for issuers, created together with industry experts, is another example. It demonstrated that, even without an additional card fee from consumers, Zwipe Pay could deliver a $22.4m annual net benefit for an average US issuer converting a portfolio of 1 million credit cards, 1 million debit cards, and 100,000 commercial cards to biometric cards.
As part of our end-to-end offering, ranging from leading technology to professional sales enablement, these kinds of services and initiatives make Zwipe stand out from the crowd, adding considerable value to customers.
In addition, Zwipe announced its first entry into adjacent sectors, starting with the launch of “Zwipe Access”, building on years of investments into our advanced biometric authentication technology platform designed to fulfil the highest criteria for security, scalability, and mass-volume implementation. At the same time, we announced collaborations with several leading companies in the security industry; notably HID Global, LeGrand, and Southco. This coalition will bring a highly advanced, cost-effective biometric authentication solution to market, fully capable of working with existing access control infrastructure.
We also raised NOK 104 million in a private placement directed towards one of the Nordic’s most respected investors, Erik Selin. This means that our shareholder base and finances have been significantly strengthened in 2021.
Adding to our confidence in our future outlook is the consistent evidence from numerous consumer surveys covering more than 2,500 cardholders from diverse markets around the world that cardholders want the touch-less and PIN-free experience with world-class security that is made possible by biometric payment cards. 56% said they were willing to pay to get a biometric card and 57% said they were willing to switch banks to get a biometric card. These findings, which are consistent with survey findings of industry peers and other analyst reports, suggest that launches of biometric cards will offer valuable differentiation to first-moving banks and trigger competitive reactions from others.
Like most other companies engaged in multinational development projects, Zwipe has, as mentioned before, been impacted by COVID-19 through added complexity and extended lead times. However, I have been impressed by the grit and determination of my team and technology partners, systematically overcoming hurdles and setbacks along the way.
I want to express my deep gratitude to the exceptional team of Zwipers for their unfailing efforts through this challenging pandemic which has taken its toll on everyone.
My sincere thanks also go out to all our customers, partners, and shareholders for supporting our journey and sharing our mission - Making Convenience Safe and Secure.
I am looking forward to 2022 with a lot of excitement due to the prospects ahead.” says CEO of Zwipe André Løvestam.
Please find the annual report here
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About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
lars.kristian@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 23 February 2022 – Zwipe AS today publishes its second half-year 2021 report.
Summary of financial development for the second half-year 2021:
Please find the second half-year report here
The annual report 2021 will be released through a separate stock exchange announcement shortly after this announcement.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
lars.kristian@zwipe.com
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Euronext Growth Oslo, Nasdaq First North Growth Market and the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 07:58 CET on 23 February 2022.
OSLO, NORWAY – 23 February 2022- The share capital increase of 384,000 new shares in Zwipe AS, as resolved by the board meeting of the company on 20 January 2022, has today been registered in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The new share capital is NOK 3,736,668.50, and the new number of shares and votes are 37,366,685.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
lars.kristian@zwipe.com
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Euronext Growth Market Oslo and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 00:20 CET on 23 February 2022.
OSLO, NORWAY – 22 February 2022- The share capital increase of 384,000 new shares in Zwipe AS, as resolved by the board meeting of the company on 20 January 2022, has today been registered in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The new share capital is NOK 3,736,668.50, and the new number of shares and votes are 37,266,685.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
lars.kristian@zwipe.com
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Euronext Growth Market Oslo and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 20:00 CET on 22 February 2022.
OSLO, NORWAY and DELHI, INDIA – 21 February 2022 – sKarn RoboticS, a high-tech company providing security and privacy solutions to businesses, consumers, and the government sector, is strengthening its solution portfolio with biometric access control and co-branded biometric payment cards built on Zwipe’s technology. Headquartered in Oslo with a global presence, Zwipe is pioneering the deployment of the next generation biometric payment and access control cards globally.
Founded in 2019, sKarn RoboticS is one of the key contributors to the ‘Self Reliance’ initiative of the Indian government. The company is investing heavily in building ultra-secure digital products and services ecosystems for end-users and businesses. Its WeCript portfolio delivers high-grade security and privacy controls for remote communication, secure searching, browsing, SaaS and e-commerce. Right to privacy, right to freedom and right to information are the three core values at sKarn RoboticS. The company recently won “2021 Global Revolutionary Founder of the Year” and “2021 Global Innovative Product of the Year” from the Government of India.
Speaking on the collaboration, sKarn RoboticS’s Founder & COO, THE KARN, said, “Our mission is to provide highly secured digital services that significantly empower end-users with top rated privacy, security and digital experience. Zwipe’s extremely secure biometric payment and access control cards strongly complement our core values and fit perfectly in the WeCript Ecosystem, our solution portfolio. From Q3 2022 or before, we aim to launch pilots for our B2C and B2B customers with a few thousand biometric access control and payment cards and expect a rapid scale-up thereafter. Biometric cards will create meaningful value for all our customers.”
sKarn RoboticS will take deliveries from selected manufacturers of biometric cards in Zwipe’s global ecosystem with focus on India and key growth markets.
Commenting on this development, André Løvestam, Chief Executive Officer at Zwipe, said: “It is great to see an ambitious and fast-moving high-tech security solution provider such as sKarn RoboticS, with its WeCript Ecosystem, recognize the value of biometric cards for its customers. Both organizations share the passion to deliver enhanced security, privacy and convenience to our direct customers and end customers. We are very much looking forward to our collaboration with sKarn RoboticS and their customers”.
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About sKarn RoboticS
Founded in 2019 by THE KARN, sKarn RoboticS is an Indian tech start-up company, govt. accredited and recognized by DPIIT as start-up India. Carrying forward the Indian government's initiative, sKarn RoboticS is working on prioritizing the significance of building a safe and secure internet ecosystem for the users and businesses. Its private and secure product line named "WeCript Ecosystem'' is a product of the visionary thinking of the founder of sKarn RoboticS, THE KARN about making India and world self-reliant. The company aims to ensure data protection and privacy for users, serving right and relevant results across the web through WeCript Ecosystem.
Core Values of sKarn/Wecript Ecosystem:
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit zwipe.com
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 934 36 952, info@zwipe.com
