OSLO, NORWAY – 7 MAY 2020 –
Q1 2020 Highlights
Developments after the period
CEO Comment
André Løvestam, Chief Executive Officer at Zwipe, said:
“Q1 2020 has been an intense quarter for Zwipe.
We started the year by listing on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market on January 28th, and have seen considerable interest in Zwipe across the Swedish investment community.
This quarter has also been marked by unprecedented global uncertainty tied to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With the aim to protect our employees from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Zwipe quickly adapted with various protective measures such as remote work and travel bans. We have been able to continue operating remotely, with little to no impact being seen across our operations. Our commercial team has ramped up activity and been able to engage more frequently and openly as a result of the entire industry transitioning to videoconferencing as opposed to travel-intensive face-to-face meetings.
We observe an extensive focus on and interest in the improved hygiene and safety of biometric payment solutions; the awareness of biometric advantages is significantly higher than pre-Corona. This elevated focus on safety has significantly increased the growth of contactless transactions, and transaction caps have been raised all over the world1. Hygiene may become an accelerator and game-changer for biometric payments. A biometric payment card effectively eliminates the need to ever touch the payment terminal keypad – regular cards require PIN above the transaction limit, after a set number of transactions, and when the cumulative value of transactions has reached its limit.
We are seeing growing momentum across the payment ecosystem with increasing investment in supporting biometric payment card deployment. Zwipe is now working closely with partners across the value chain in developing a highly competitive offering in terms of energy efficiency and biometric performance at industry-leading manufacturing costs; Zwipe Pay ONE. This next generation contactless technology will achieve a radically lower total manufacturing cost per card, which we believe will be key to accelerate the volume market take-off. Therefore, we are proud and satisfied that the Zwipe Pay ONE project and the collaboration with Idemia and Idex is on track, as announced in April. The first samples of the new single chip have been manufactured and successfully powered-on. This development is very positive as our customers wish to get access to Zwipe Pay ONE as early as possible to be able to serve card issuers with the market’s most cost-effective biometric payment cards.
Recent certification industry announcements bring further confidence to the trajectory of biometric payment card rollout. Certification of payment products is a rigorous and capital-intensive process for card manufacturers and a strong signal of intent to capitalize on the next natural step for payment cards, following the introduction of dual-interface payment cards in 2007.
I am also satisfied with the very good progress in the wearable project announced with G+D in September, as this project is also on track.
Looking ahead, we are committed to supporting our customers to elevate their product portfolios by making it easy to integrate biometric payment solutions. Key to this work is technical deliverables and sharing the expertise we have built from having the most widely piloted solution to position, educate and market biometric payment cards to banks and issuers. We are doing everything in our power to build and maintain strong relationships with our industry-leading partners that will create sustainable long-term commercial opportunities for themselves and Zwipe going forward.”
Financial Update
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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, Nasdaq First North Growth Market and the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on May 7, 2020 at 08:30 CEST
OSLO, NORWAY – 28 APRIL 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe is pleased to announce that Asia Credit Card Production Ltd. (ACC), a specialist smart card manufacturer based in Hong Kong, has chosen to partner with Zwipe in order to offer and roll out a range of biometric payment specific products and services including cards, wearables, enrolment and customer onboarding solutions.
ACC has an extensive smart card product portfolio with a large client base in a wide range of industries worldwide. ACC has begun integrating Zwipe’s biometric inlay platform into their smart card production facility in order to prepare for the launch of Zwipe Pay ONE when it becomes available later this year.
“We strongly believe that biometric payment cards are the future and there is a strong market for payment cards in the fast-moving Asia Pacific region even in the face of surging smartphone use. Working now to integrate Zwipe’s technology, we are confident that we will have a truly disruptive offering that will enable us to significantly grow our banking customer base in the region and beyond,” said Gary Li, Managing Director of Asia Credit Card Production Ltd.
As an essential manufacturer in the heart of APAC, ACC is now working at full capacity. On the back of their commitment to issuing biometric payment cards this year, the company is in the process of completing the application process for full card scheme certification to expand its portfolio of offerings to leading issuers across the region.
“We continue to build our global portfolio of customer relationships, which will be instrumental in the roll-out of future products. The partnership with ACC will further broaden our access to the Asian markets,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About Asia Credit Card Production LTD
ACC is a leading professional RFID card and smart card manufacturer. Headquartered in Hong Kong and production plant in Shenzhen, China. With over 20 years of experience in card industry, ACC is offering top quality products and services compliant to industry standards and customer requirements. We continuously strengthen partnerships with our strategic alliances and industry leaders to fulfill our commitment to the industry.
For more information contact: James Duran, +852 2389 3393 james@asia-cc.com.hk
OSLO, NORWAY– 23 APRIL 2020 – The Nomination Committee of Zwipe AS has proposed the nomination of two leading payment and technology professionals to its board of directors to be voted upon at its upcoming Annual General Meeting to be held virtually on 14 May 2020.
Mr. Diderik Schonheyder is a recognized authority on payment products, services and systems development with more than 35 years’ experience as an executive, advisor and investor in the information technology and telecommunications industry. He previously served in global roles at Visa International and MasterCard, and currently operates a consultancy company focused on payment ecosystems.
Mr. Pål Eivind Vegard is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and board member who has been active for over three decades in the telecommunications and software industries in Europe. He established Tele1 Europe in Norway in 1998 before going on to fund several companies. Through his investment company, Concito, he was one of the early backers of Zwipe and he served on Zwipe’s board from 2011 to 2016. He was also an early investor and chairman of the board in Onecall, today a successful mobile brand owned by Telia.
In addition to Diderik Schonheyder and Pål Eivind Vegard, the Nomination Committee proposes that Dorian Barak, Johan Biehl, Dennis Jones and Jörgen Lantto (Chairman) are re-elected as Directors of the Board.
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OSLO, NORWAY– 22 April 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited, the strongest local card manufacturer in the Hong Kong and Macau region, to collaborate on the product positioning, development and commercialization of biometric payment cards.
Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited has an extensive customer network with the large banks in Hong Kong and Macau, offering a wide range of data management and card solutions. The company is an authorized VISA, MasterCard, China UnionPay, JCB and AMEX card manufacturer in Hong Kong. Using the strengths it has obtained in the data management area, the company is working to create new value as a digital hybrid company that is able to provide products and services with security elements.
“Biometric payment cards can be a lucrative product for us considering the types of banks we have as customers, with many high net worth clients. We are eager to integrate Zwipe’s technology including Zwipe Pay ONE, providing a premium status product which strengthens the contactless payment experience enabling more secure and convenient options for cardholders thanks to its enhanced biometric features,” said Mr. Joseph Hui, Deputy Managing Director of Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited.
“Our collaboration with Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited is another important step for Zwipe as we prepare to roll out our Zwipe Pay ONE platform. Working with strong local players connected to leading issuers in their markets will be instrumental in enabling the scaling of our offering going forward,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited.
Toppan Forms (Hong Kong) Group founded Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited (TFCT) in 1982 as its first step of diversification in becoming a trusted total service provider. We provide a variety of card solutions, card issuance systems and services for the ever-expanding IT market. In light of our company mission to be an innovation frontier, the company enriches the integrated IT solutions offering in terms of Robotic Solutions, Access Control and e-Application. The company is working to create new value as a Digital Hybrid Company that is able to provide products and services from both the analog and digital aspects. To visit our website www.toppanforms.com
For more information, please contact us +852 2519 6388 contact@toppanforms.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 20 April 2020 – Zwipe, a leading biometric fintech company, and IDEX Biometrics, a leading provider of fingerprint identification technologies, announce that they have signed an agreement that will see Zwipe combining IDEX Biometrics sensor products with the Zwipe Pay ONE platform to enable a complete system solution for biometric payment cards.
Zwipe Pay ONE is a technology platform based on a single-chip biometric secure element with operating system and relevant proprietary software. The result will be a compelling biometric payment card offering to card manufacturers in the global market.
The two companies also plan to formalize cross-licensing of intellectual property and a joint marketing approach as Zwipe Pay ONE with IDEX sensor becomes available for piloting.
“We are excited to work closely with Zwipe, a pioneer in the biometric payment card market. We believe the combination of Zwipe Pay ONE with IDEX next generation sensor has strong potential to become a market leading solution. IDEX is providing fingerprint sensors and technical expertise towards the shared goal of accelerating adoption of biometric payment cards,” said Vincent Graziani, CEO of IDEX Biometrics.
“IDEX Biometrics has developed a next-generation fingerprint sensor. We are ideally positioned to take a leading position in the biometric payments market, providing smart card manufacturers with a superior offering in terms of energy efficiency and biometric performance at industry-leading manufacturing costs", said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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COURBEVOIE, FRANCE and OSLO, NORWAY– 08 April 2020 –
Following the exclusive partnership and distribution agreement signed between IDEMIA and ZWIPE, the two companies announce that first samples of the new chip have now arrived for further verification and qualification with the first power-on successfully executed. Therefore, the new platform will now progress to the next stages of developments and will be able to meet expected demand from card issuers with a first launch on the market as from second half 2020 followed by a mass production of biometric cards during 2021. IDEMIA and IDEX have signed an agreement by which IDEX will supply the card’s sensors for this next generation of biometric payment cards. This agreement deepens a long-standing collaboration between IDEMIA and IDEX to develop biometric payment cards including an IP licensing agreement signed in Oct 20193. By teaming up with ZWIPE and IDEX to offer a disruptive biometric payment card platform that will radically reduce biometric payment card costs, IDEMIA is driving the growth of the biometric cards market and enables an accelerated path to mass volumes, which will ultimately benefit the issuers and users of cards.
Amanda Gourbault, IDEMIA Executive Vice President Financial Institutions says: “This achievement of this key milestone demonstrates that our next F.CODE generation biometric card development is being executed according to plan allowing a pilot launch second half 2020. Together with our business partners we are showcasing our best-in-class expertise in designing and manufacturing biometric-based payment cards”.
André Løvestam, CEO of ZWIPE says: ”We are pleased to see this progress and we strongly believe that bringing forward the new platform together with IDEMIA will be a major catalyst in creating long term shareholder value and provide the technological leap needed to shape the future of the biometric payment card market and to drive commercial success for ZWIPE. The progress up until now has further strengthened our conviction that this project will meet not only the time schedule, but also the targeted unit cost reductions on biometric payment cards.”
Vince Graziani, CEO of IDEX commented: “We are proud to have been selected by IDEMIA and look forward to continue collaboration with this leader in authentication solutions, and to initiate collaboration with ZWIPE to bring biometric payment cards to the mass market. This award by one of the world’s largest card manufacturers is a validation of our off-chip product design that enables high performance at a disruptive cost point.”
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2: manufacturers of payment cards, wearables and other payment solutions, and their suppliers.
OSLO, NORWAY – 25 March 2020 – Biometric technology company Zwipe is pleased to announce that it has been selected by Masria Digital Payments (MDP), one of the largest smart card manufacturers and digital payments providers in the Middle East and Africa to deliver biometric payments solutions to enhance MDP’s innovation product portfolio.
Zwipe will support MDP in integrating and rolling out biometric payment cards and eventually biometric enabled wearable devices to a region that has expressed significant interest in the technology.
“To continue MDP’s long tradition of technology leadership, we are integrating Zwipe’s current biometric payment platform now to educate the market and get prepared for Zwipe Pay ONE. We are confident that, when that becomes available, we will have banks across the region ready to take the next natural step in payment cards with us”, says Ahmed Nafie, EVP of MDP.
The Middle East and North Africa is seeing great interest in biometric payment solutions, especially biometric payment cards.
“Zwipe is thrilled to win a new strategic customer wanting to pilot our current product platform to pave the way for early deployment of our future offering, Zwipe Pay ONE. Working together we can unlock many opportunities in a part of the world that is proving to be a first mover when it comes to biometric payments” says André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About MDP
Masria Digital Payments (previously Masria Card S.A.E) is Africa's leading smart card solutions provider with a regional presence spanning 35 countries and 3 continents. Building on its vast sector experience, MDP has consistently introduced the latest technology in cards, payment security and smart applications to the Middle East and African markets. MDP also provides its partners with a complete card offering ranging from card production, personalization, issuance and fulfilment as a service or as a solution. MDP is the only end to end fully certified African payments solutions provider to offer a full card services, solutions, processing and digital payment suites to clients in the financial, government and retail sector under one roof.
For more information, please visit www.mdp-eg.com/
OSLO, NORWAY - 18 March 2020 - Zwipe’s CEO André Løvestam presented Zwipe at a RedEye Investor event in Sweden on 12 March 2020 where he addressed the ongoing global Covid-19 situation and its impact on the company’s operations: “To address the escalating situation regarding the Corona virus, it is important to acknowledge the global impact it is having. However, we want to stress that Zwipe carries on. We are a lean global team committed to our targets and, as we have done before, we are adapting quickly and effectively to the changing environment we operate in. Projects are ongoing, we have suspended travel, we are doing more video conferencing and ultimately continuing to do business as best we can in the face of this new adversity.”
The Zwipe team spans across Europe, the United States and Asia with more than 25% working permanently from home offices. The company has moved quickly to enact travel bans and new working standards enabling our staff to work from home offices as of 13 March 2020.
Commenting on the company and its plan to work through the current global situation, André Løvestam said “we are committed to the safety and security of our team members and their families and we are monitoring the situation closely. Some of our partners in China and Europe have been impacted, however, most of our ongoing efforts are not impeded by the current situation and we are confident that we will be able to weather the current downturn and look forward to share progress as we go forward.”
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OSLO, NORWAY – 28 February 2020 – Zwipe AS today publishes its half-year financial report for 2H 2019.
The report does not contain inside information. Zwipe’s audited Annual Report 2019 was released on 26 February 2020.
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OSLO, NORWAY – 3 November 2021 - Zwipe’s technology partner, Idemia, has announced that it has obtained full certification from both VISA and Mastercard for its F.CODE biometric payment card.
These certifications (Letters of Approval) represent full validation of the core components in our disruptive technology platform, Zwipe Pay ONE, notably the shared single silicon biometric secure element, where Idemia and Zwipe have co-invested since Q4 2019, and the IDX3405 fingerprint sensor from Idex Biometrics.
This paves the way for subsequent successful certification of Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric payment cards for Zwipe’s customers, as Zwipe is working towards completion of its Zwipe Pay ONE platform. Zwipe Pay ONE includes Zwipe’s ISO Module integrating the now fully certified single silicon biometric secure element, as well as Zwipe’s passive inlay. Zwipe’s customers can also purchase the fully validated Idex Biometrics fingerprint sensor, IDX3405, from Zwipe. The timing for certification of Zwipe’s card manufacturing customers will be subject to the planning and execution of the certification by each customer.
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For further information, please contact:
André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135
info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and SINGAPORE – 2 November 2021 - Zwipe, a leading biometrics payment company, announced that it had appointed Claus Hansen as Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Mr Hansen will lead Zwipe's engagements with card manufacturers, issuers and technology partners to drive the adoption of biometric payment solutions in APAC.
With this appointment, Zwipe aims to strengthen its foothold in the APAC region. Mr Hansen will be accompanied with two existing colleagues at the newly-established Zwipe subsidiary in Singapore (Zwipe Singapore Pte. Ltd.) The new regional office strongly reinforces Zwipe’s long-term vision to support its partners and customers in the area.
Commenting on this latest Zwipe development in the APAC Region, André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said, "Claus's appointment demonstrates our commitment to one of the world's largest and most rapidly growing regions within payments. We have significant customer relationships in the APAC region and are excited by the strong interest that our Zwipe Pay ONE platform has received. Claus's deep smart card industry knowledge and proven track record in successfully launching new payment solutions in APAC will help us accelerate the full potential of our platform.”
Claus Hansen, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, APAC, said, "The Zwipe Pay ONE platform with a Single Silicon Biometric System on Card is a game-changer for the payments industry. I am very excited to join this visionary team of passionate people. Convenience, security and safety are important for consumers' choice of payment option. Zwipe is perfectly positioned to provide innovative card-based solutions allowing our clients to respond to market needs, as well as become the strategic technology partner of choice".
Mr Hansen brings over 25 years of payment technology, cybersecurity, fintech and smart card experience to the role. He has held senior executive management positions across multiple countries in Asia in Entrust, NXP Semiconductors, Gemalto, dz card and Kona I.
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For further information, please contact:
André Løvestam, CEO,
+47 991 66 135
info@zwipe.com
Acceleration på flera fronter
Zwipe fortsätter det höga tempo som bolaget har hållit hittills under året och har presenterat många spännande nyheter senaste kvartalet. Kvartalet har inneburit ett antal nya partnerskap med en mängd olika aktörer i branschen. Mest noterbart är den allt starkare närvaron i Mellanöstern och Asien, med avtal med bland annat partnerskap med go-to-market aktörerna ICPS, Nymcard, QPS och CCM. Vidare har pilotavtal också slutits med MEPS för Levantregionen, Credit Libanais, en större aktör i Libanon, det norska fintech-bolaget Reltime samt en större global Tier-1 bank med pilotlanseringar i tre europeiska länder. Till följd av den allt starkare närvaron i regionen Mellanöstern, Asien och Afrika har en Claus Hansen tillsatts som VP Sales and Business Development för APAC-regionen. (Asien-Stilla-havsregionen). Bolaget har utöver detta tagit viktiga steg i Latinamerika och Karibien, genom ett avtal med det Chile-baserade fintechbolaget IC Payments.
Ytterligare kommersiell order
I vår förra uppdatering lyfte vi fram den stora nyheten att bolaget mottagit sin första order. Den kom från BCC i Taiwan och uppgick till totalt 17 miljoner norska kronor. Kort efter att analysen publicerades följde bolaget upp med att tillkännagiva att Inkript, en av de största betalkortsleverantörerna i Menaregionen (Mellanöstern och Nord-afrika) har lagt en order på totalt 3 miljoner norska kronor. Iochmed detta så stärks bolagets kommersiella momentum ytterligare och det är inte orimligt att tro i detta läge att ytterligare ordrar kan finnas i närtid. Totalt har bolaget idag skarpa ordrar på 20 miljoner norska kronor trots att de i stort fortsatt befinner sig i ett förkommersiellt stadie.
Genombrott med Tier-1 aktörer
Värt att också lyfta fram är de framgångar som Zwipe fortsätter att röna med större globala Tier-1 aktörer. Detta är anmärkningsvärt för flera anledningar, då detta inte nödvändigtvis varit ett fokusområde tidigare för bolaget. Utvärderingen av bolagets Zwipe Pay One plattform sker nu av en global Tier-1 smartkortsleverantör och ett positivt utfall på detta kan få stora effekter. Vidare har bolaget också adderat en europeisk Tier-1 bank som ger ut flera miljoner kort årligen globalt och som skall genomföra en pilot i tre europeiska länder i Q1 2022. Givet ett positivt utfall på detta så siktar banken på en större kommersiell lansering under sommaren 2022. Mycket pekar med andra ord för att 2022 kan bli ett spännande år där det kommersiella genombrottet för biometriska kort tar fart ordentligt.
Bibehållen positiv syn
Kvartalet innehöll inga överraskningar i siffrorna med en omsättning på 0,4 miljoner NOK och ett kassaflöde på -5,3 miljoner NOK per månad. Vi justerar ned våra prognoser på kort sikt men bibehåller den starka synen på lång sikt och upprepar vårt motiverade värde på 43–46 kronor på 12–18 månaders sikt. Bolaget befinner sig fortsatt i ett starkt momentum och vi väntar oss ett intensivt nyhetsflöde de kommande månaderna. Vi ser störst risk i eventuella förseningar i kommersialiseringsprocessen.
OSLO, NORWAY – 26 October 2021
During the third quarter, Zwipe has continued to strengthen its foundation for launching pilots and mass-volume roll out of biometric payment cards.
Mauritius-based ICPS, one of Africa’s leading card personalization and processing service providers, partnered with Zwipe to bring biometric payment cards to Africa and Asia.
A global Tier 1 smartcard manufacturer started the evaluation of the Zwipe Pay ONE platform.
Zwipe received an MNOK 17 (USD 1.9 million) commercial order from Beautiful Card Corporation (BCC) in Taiwan, which produces around 520 million cards annually, of which around 20 million are EMV payment cards.
Middle East Payment Services (MEPS), a Jordan-based commercial issuer of payment cards, announced its decision to pilot Zwipe Pay ONE with executives at up to 20 Financial Institutions in the Levant region1.
Erik Selin invested MNOK 104 in Zwipe through a private placement to further accelerate development and commercialization of Zwipe.
A European-based Global Tier 1 Bank, with several millions of payment cards deployed globally, decided to pilot Zwipe Pay ONE-based Biometric Payment Cards in three European countries. The bank plans for a commercial launch in summer 2022, subject to positive pilot results.
Zwipe received a Commercial Order of MNOK 3 (USD 318,000) from Inkript, one of the largest payment card suppliers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
UAE-based card issuing and processing provider NymCard joined forces with Zwipe to accelerate the deployment of biometric payment cards in the Middle East and Africa.
Zwipe and India-based Que Processing Services (QPS) announced collaboration to bring Zwipe Pay ONE biometric payment cards in Asia and the Middle East.
Zwipe and Lebanon-based Credit Card Management (CCM), who delivers payment services to more than 25 banks in Lebanon, announced collaboration to launch biometric payment card pilots in the country.
Norwegian fintech Reltime selected the Zwipe Pay ONE platform to power its biometric payment card offering as part of its global financial services ecosystem, with the aim to launch pilots from Q1 2022.
Zwipe America Inc. received full forgiveness of the second bank loan of $248 000 through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which was granted and paid out in the first quarter of 2021.
Significant Events after the period
IC Payments, a Chile based fintech with offices in Uruguay and Argentina as well as a solid network of partners across Latin America, partnered with Zwipe to offer biometric payment solutions in the Latin American and Caribbean markets.
Credit Libanais, one of the largest banks in Lebanon and a principal member of Visa and Mastercard, has chosen to pilot biometric payment card based on Zwipe Pay ONE.
Zwipe has hired Claus Hansen as VP Sales and Business Development in APAC. Claus is based in Singapore and has a long career working in the smart card industry with more than 30 years’ experience in APAC and a broad network in the region.
Comments from the CEO
The third quarter of 2021 has been momentous for Zwipe in many ways.
On the customer side, we received our first commercial orders for subsequent deployments of Zwipe Pay ONE) from BCC in Taiwan and Inkript in Lebanon with a combined value of MNOK 20 (USD 2.2 million). Both players have strong regional positions in Asia and the MENA region respectively.
We are also pleased that a global Tier 1 Smartcard Manufacturer decided to start a comprehensive evaluation of the Zwipe Pay ONE platform, reflecting the relevance and competitiveness of our technology and offering.
On the issuer side, the innovativeness of Middle East Payment Services (MEPS) to launch a large-scale, multi-bank pilot with Zwipe Pay ONE to bank executives across the Levant region1 was a great step forward and has inspired us to develop new concepts for accelerated piloting that reduces upfront preparation for the banks.
I was also thrilled that a European-based global Tier-1 bank decided to launch Zwipe Pay ONE pilots in three European countries with intentions to launch commercially during summer 2022 subject to positive pilot results. Attracting global tier-1 players, not only among processors and card manufacturers, but also among banks, is something we are very proud of at Zwipe.
In addition, Reltime decided to pilot and subsequently launch Zwipe Pay ONE enabled cards to bring world-class security in its decentralized financial services ecosystem.
In parallel with all this, we further strengthened our reach, market coverage, and implementation capabilities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East by finalizing key Go-to-market partnerships with ICPS (part of the HPS Group), NymCard, Que Processing Services and Credit Card Management. Partnerships such as these are vital in order to accelerate developments and maximise the Zwipe Pay ONE opportunity. I refer to this as “the Megaphone effect”.
To help quantify the business case for launching biometric payment cards for issuers and further drive the biometric payment card opportunity across the value chain, we have developed a comprehensive ROI (Return on Investment) Calculator. The calculator demonstrates the financial value of Zwipe Pay ONE to issuers and shows that, even without a card fee paid by the cardholder, Zwipe Pay ONE can deliver a $15m annual net benefit for an average US issuer with a 1 million credit card portfolio. The ROI model has been developed together with recognized external industry experts. We were delighted by the results and the reinforcement of the value that our offering can bring to card issuers. The ROI calculator is now an integral part of our value proposition to issuers to further accelerate the adoption of biometric payment cards.
All in all, I am happy to report that we continue to experience broad-based acknowledgement of Zwipe’s competitiveness and value add for the industry from all parts of the payment ecosystem.
Another significant highlight from the third quarter 2021 was the MNOK 104 investment from the prominent Swedish investor Erik Selin through a private placement of 4,000,000 new shares to further accelerate our ongoing development, commercialization and global expansion.
As previously communicated, Zwipe’s development efforts for Zwipe Pay ONE has passed almost all critical milestones and major risk points, with piloting and certification left before subsequent full commercialization and mass volumes. Together with development and manufacturing partners, we are progressing towards finalization of Zwipe Pay ONE, which will be followed by the formal certification process by our card manufacturing customers with the payment schemes. When verifying Zwipe Pay ONE, it is clear that we will have a very cost competitive offering and enable our customers to launch biometric payment cards with excellent performance resulting in a compelling user experience for cardholders. Similar to many other companies engaged in multinational development projects, the effects of COVID-19 have added complexity and extended lead times to the overall Zwipe Pay ONE development program, but I am pleased with how our organization continues to tackle and overcome challenges and is well positioned to bring a fully commercially available Zwipe Pay ONE offering to market as soon as we have completed the final steps.
Finally, I am very proud of the Zwipe organization. The passion, competence, agility, collaborativeness, responsiveness and winning culture that they live out every day is what fuels our mission and drives us forward on our path to market success, great customer satisfaction and creation of shareholder value.
Financial Update
Total revenues in Q3 2021 were 0.4 MNOK (MNOK 0.1).
Average monthly operational cash flow was MNOK -5.3 in Q3 2021 versus MNOK -4.4 in Q3 2020. The increase is a result of recruitments and higher activity in the company. During 2021, Zwipe has increased its staff in response to the increased number of customer engagements and growing demand for piloting and deployment of our payment solutions and services.
The closing cash balance at the end of Q3 2021 was MNOK 183.7 (MNOK 117.3). The development in cash balance since end of Q2 2021 (MNOK 94.9) is primarily a result of operational cash flow of MNOK -15.8 and the private placement to Erik Selin of MNOK 104 in August 2021.
As Zwipe received full forgiveness of the second PPP loan in August, Zwipe is again debt-free.
Footnote 1: The Levant region includes Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Turkey and Israel
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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 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 below, at 08:00 CEST on 26 October 2021.
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:
André Løvestam
+47 991 661 35
ir@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and BEIRUT, LEBANON – 21 October 2021 - Zwipe is proud to announce a pilot of the new generation of biometric payment card based on Zwipe Pay ONE, with Credit Libanais, one of the largest banks in Lebanon. The bank is a principal member of Visa and Mastercard and has under its affiliation three other banks.
Across many markets globally, and especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Zwipe has experienced a strong and growing interest in biometric payment cards from banks and payment service providers. Biometric payment cards deliver world-class security and a completely touch-less user experience to cardholders, enabling improved loyalty and accelerated customer acquisition for the banks, creating a solid business case.
Speaking on this development, Randa Bdeir, Deputy General Manager at Credit Libanais said, “Post pandemic, we have seen a strong demand for touch-less checkout as they are safer and much more hygienic which this innovation will directly address; and that is why we have partnered with Zwipe, a global leader in biometric payment card technologies, to pilot a new generation of Biometric Payment Cards that will deliver a significantly improved user experience and security for our retail clients. We are truly proud to partner with Zwipe and be the pioneers to deploy such an important development in the entire region.”
Besides the core biometric payment card technology, Zwipe will also support Credit Libanais through all pilot stages, ensuring that all end users’ experiences and feedback are systematically captured and their impact on business case assessed.
Ramzi Saboury, General Manager of Zwipe in the MENA Region said: “The banking sector in Lebanon is demonstrating its appetite for innovation. We are thrilled that Zwipe Pay ONE technology has been chosen and looking forward to supporting the pilot and commercial launch by Credit Libanais.”
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About Credit Libanais
Since its establishment in 1961, Credit Libanais has developed technologically - advanced services to support its business. The Bank has one of the largest networks in Lebanon including local and international outreach in Cyprus, Bahrain and a subsidiary bank in Senegal. Year after year, Credit Libanais reaffirms its commitment to conducting business with high ethical standards and sustainability in mind.
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 zwipe.com
For further information, please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and SANTIAGO, CHILE – 19 October 2021 – IC Payment is partnering with Zwipe, a Norway-based biometric fintech, to offer biometric payment solutions in the Latin American and Caribbean markets.
IC Payment is a Fintech, expert in the development of new technologies behind different payment methods. It is based in Santiago de Chile with offices in Uruguay and Argentina as well as a solid network of partners across Latin America. IC Payment offers a complete set of payment solutions for both in person and digital environments. Highlighting its instant issuance solution for financial cards through a self-service model, called "Instant CardPoint". Allowing to issue a card instantly ready to be used without limitations of designs, brands, or customer service hours.
Speaking on this collaboration, Mr. Christian Herrera, CEO of IC Payment, said "Biometric payment cards are attracting increased interest from issuers as they deliver a much better user experience through transaction security and safety. We are delighted that our partnership with Zwipe enables us to provide the ultimate next-generation payment experience in the market. This innovation will help our partners and customers to differentiate their offerings. Making them more competitive as a result, which in turn drives further growth”.
The two organizations will now align their product delivery and initiate joint sales efforts to bring biometric cards across key markets in Latin America.
"We are thrilled that IC Payment has selected Zwipe Pay ONE to enable their issuer, processor and card bureau clients to adopt biometric payment cards. We look forward to introducing the next generation of contactless payment cards in large and high growth payment markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. IC Payment is a well-recognized brand in the card payments space in these markets, and we look forward to mutual success in this region,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About IC Payment
IC Payment was born with the mission of bringing new payment method technologies to the financial sector through innovation and security. In its nine years of operation in Latin America, IC Payment has promoted and accompanied its clients in the early adoption of new payment technologies. IC Payment's current commitment is to take the instant issuance of financial cards beyond the scope of bank branches. Expanding its hourly service, physical presence and promoting financial inclusion. IC Payment consolidated a strategic alliance with the fintech of the French group be ys, to continue strengthening its research and development in an environment of continuous advancement of innovation and sustainability.
For further information please contact Sean McRostie, CCO of IC Payment at +(56) 9 3430 0695 - smcrostie@icpayment.net
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 zwipe.com
For further information please contact André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY - 29 september 2021 – Zwipe is proud to announce that it has partnered with startup Reltime to provide a world-class security and user experience to the end-users of Reltime’s Decentralized Finance (DEFI) Ecosystem based on the Zwipe Pay ONE platform. Reltime will issue Zwipe Pay ONE-based biometric payment cards to bring the next generation contactless security and user experience to its end users.
Reltime aims to revolutionize financial services for customers and users in Europe, Japan, India, Mexico, and Brazil from Q1 2022 and then target the global market from Q3 2022.
Headquartered in Oslo, Reltime offers ready-to-deploy financial services to users who will save and secure transactions with full control and flexibility. These services include banking, cross border money transfer, lending, card payments and digital wallets for instant use. When the users check out, it converts instantly to the local currency.
Speaking on the partnership, Cornelia Stensby van der Laak, Reltime’s Chief Commercial Officer, said, “We are delighted to see such positive feedback from the market on Reltime’s DEFI Ecosystem. We already have several partner engagements from all over the world. Reltime has noted a strong interest in biometric payment cards, which deliver world-class security and convenience. Zwipe is a well-respected biometric payment technology brand, and we aim to launch the first pilots in Q1 2022, followed by commercial launches shortly after.”
More information on Reltime Biometric ID and Payment Cards can be found here.
Reltime will be the issuer of biometric payment cards, and first to launch this to a DEFI network globally. Zwipe and other partners will be working closely to ensure that the planned pilots are started from Q1 2022. Besides delivering its Zwipe Pay ONE platform, Zwipe will also support Reltime through all stages of pilots and the commercial launch of biometric payment cards.
“We are proud that a global innovator such as Reltime recognizes the value of biometric payment cards and has decided to use Zwipe as part of its next-generation financial services platform. Together we will help many telecom operators and issuers to bring significantly enhanced convenience and security in payments. We are excited about the planned pilots and launches next year,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About Reltime
Reltime is a decentralized financial ‘DEFI’ ecosystem that brings the next generation of economic and banking services to its audience worldwide. Headquartered in Oslo, it offers financial services for all users anywhere. Reltime enables its customers to start offering a broad range of services, such as banking, free cross border money transfer, lending with and without Collateral and earnings for the end-users, card payments and digital wallets. Reltime revolutionizing financial services bringing control to the end-users. Reltime has a partnership with several global financial institutions to provide seamless and secure transactions from anywhere in the world. To learn more, visit reltime.com.
For further details, please get in touch with Cornelia Stensby van der Laak, CCO, cornelia@reltime.com
About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment card components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. 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 significant shift in payments from contactless to contact-free. To learn more, visit zwipe.com.
For further information, please contact André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and BEIRUT, LEBANON – 29 September 2021 – Biometric fintech company, Zwipe, and Credit Card Management (CCM), one of the leading card payment service providers in Lebanon are partnering to bring Zwipe Pay ONE biometric payment cards to banks in Lebanon. Founded in 1994, CCM has grown to become a well-recognized brand in the card payments both in Lebanon and the Middle East.
CCM delivers issuing, acquiring and card personalization services to more than 25 banks. The company provides payment processing for financial institutions as well as telecom operators and it is a subsidiary of Credit Libanais, one of the largest banks in the country.
“We are always eager to bring state-of-the-art payment products that enhance customers’ experience. Zwipe Pay ONE is a disruptive (Gen3) biometric payment platform that will enable issuer clients to deliver a completely contact-free checkout experience and payment security. We are proud to partner with Zwipe,” says Johnny Torbey, Deputy General Manager at CCM.
As part of this partnership, Zwipe will support CCM in delivering Zwipe Pay ONE biometric payment cards to banks in Lebanon. Both organizations aim to help multiple banks with pilots and ultimately commercial launches.
“The collaboration with CCM further accelerates our issuer engagements and is a strategic move for Zwipe in Lebanon and MENA where innovations such as biometric payment cards are in great demand from banks, governments and citizen programs including financial inclusions and the move to cashless societies,” says Ramzi Saboury, General Manager for Zwipe for the MENA region.
For further information, please contact Mr. André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
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About CCM
Founded in 1994, CCM has grown to become one of the most dynamic leaders of the card industry in Lebanon and the Middle East, delivering quality service and ensuring high standards of value and security, for banks, institutions, and merchants across the country while handling the full range of card business activities: strategic planning, issuing, account processing, authorization of payments, innovation of loyalty programs and co-branding schemes in various set ups and telecommunication environments.
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 zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 27 September 2021- The share capital increase of 4,000,000 new shares in Zwipe AS, as resolved by the board meeting of the company on 30 August 2021, has today been registered in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The new share capital is NOK 3,698,268.50, and the new number of shares and votes is 36,982,685.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment card 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 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 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 below, at 13:15 CEST on 27 September 2021.
