The Board of Directors of Zwipe AS, org. nr 994 553 607, has on November 10, 2019, subject to the approval by an Extraordinary General Meeting, decided to carry out a preferential rights issue of up to MNOK 74 by issuing up to 10 635 525 shares, implying an increase of the Company’s share capital of up to NOK 1 063 553.
90 percent of the Rights Issue, amounting to MNOK 67, is already covered through subscription commitments and underwriting commitments from current shareholders and new investors.
Background and purpose
During 2019 Zwipe has made significant technological, commercial and organizational progress. Most notably, Zwipe entered a strategic collaboration with Idemia on a disruptive technology platform for biometric payments. Furthermore, Zwipe successfully completed the prototyping of its in-house Z5 energy harvesting and power management chip, extended its network of card manufacturer clients, delivered according to its first received order for its second generation inlay technology, and was engaged by G+D Mobile Security to provide product design and prototyping for a wearable biometric payment device to be piloted by a leading bank.
The preferential rights issue is carried out in order to secure working capital toward commercialization and scale-up of Zwipe’s technology platform. The commercialization efforts will be accompanied by a targeted program to focus and streamline the company’s resources.
CEO André Løvestam commented “This rights issue is planned to extend Zwipe’s financial runway all the way to scale-up of biometric cards, and I am pleased that we have achieved a 90% guaranteed subscription. We now see a clear path toward finalizing and commercializing our technology, with the required capital resources to get to that point.
Zwipe is streamlining its product roadmap and pursuing cost saving opportunities that will reduce the current burn-rate. This has been made possible on the back of the strategic collaboration with Idemia, the global leader in Augmented Identity and one of the world’s largest payment card manufacturers, on a disruptive technology platform that we together with our partner Idemia believe is a game changer and a catalyst for growth in the industry. The new platform will integrate and simplify component design, drastically reducing costs of the product itself and the manufacturing process. As a result, a complete biometric payment card cost of below USD 10 is becoming realistic, providing an accelerated path to mass volumes while giving Zwipe a long-term cost leadership position.”
Summary of Rights Issue
The subscription price is NOK 7.00 per share. The Company’s shareholders have preferential rights to subscribe to the new shares in relation to the number of shares currently held. For each recorded share the shareholder obtains one (1) subscription right. Three (3) subscription rights entitle to subscription of two (2) newly issued shares.
The Record Date for participation in the Rights Issue is planned for December 4, 2019. The subscription period is expected to run from December 5 up to and including December 19, 2019. The Board of Directors shall have the right to extend the subscription period if deemed beneficial. In the event that not all shares have been subscribed for in the Rights Issue, the Board of Directors, within the maximum scope of the Rights Issue, resolve on the allocation of shares subscribed for without subscription rights.
The Company has obtained subscription commitments and undertaking commitments from a number of current shareholders and external investors. The subscription commitments from existing shareholders, and external investors who will receive subscription rights from major shareholders who cannot participate, amount to 16.1 percent of the Rights Issue. Underwriting commitments amount to an additional 73.9 percent of the Rights Issue. In total, the subscription commitments and underwriting commitments from current shareholders and new investors amount to MNOK 67.0, corresponding to 90.0 percent of the Rights Issue.
Timetable for the Rights Issue
The below timetable for the Rights Issue is preliminary and may be adjusted:
Prospectus
Complete information regarding the Rights Issue and information about the Company will be included in the prospectus that is expected to be published on or about December 4, 2019.
Extraordinary General Meeting
To obtain approval to carry out the Rights Issue, the Board of Directors has decided to call for an extraordinary general meeting. The extraordinary general meeting is to be held on December 2, 2019 at 11:30 at the office of Simonsen Vogt Wiig Advokatfirma, Filipstad Brygge 1, Oslo. The notice of the meeting will be published today through a separate press release.
For further information please contact:
André Løvestam, CEO: andre@zwipe.com +47 93 43 69 52
Lars Myren, Interim CFO: lars@zwipe.com +47 90 94 36 60
Advisors
In connection with the Rights Issue, Zwipe has appointed Erik Penser Bank AB (publ) as book runner, and Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig AS as legal advisor.
For more information, please visit www.zwipe.com
Important information
The information in this press release does not constitute an offer to sell, acquire, subscribe for or otherwise trade in shares or other securities issued by Zwipe AS. No offer will be made in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or where this would require registration, publication of a prospectus or similar action. Invitation to interested parties to subscribe for shares in Zwipe AS will only be made through the prospectus that Zwipe AS will publish.
There will be no public offer of shares in the United States. The new shares have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or under the securities law of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be reoffered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred, directly or indirectly, except (a) outside the United States in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 of Regulation S, as applicable or (b) pursuant to Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act by executing and delivering a separate U.S. investor representation letter to the manager. A person in the United States or who is a “U.S. Person” (within the meaning of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), may not apply for Offer Shares or otherwise take steps in order to subscribe for or purchase Offer Shares unless the subscriber has confirmed to the manager that it is a "qualified institutional buyer" ("QIB") as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act, acquiring the Offer Shares for investments purposes for its own account or for one or more accounts of another/other QIB(s), where it has investment discretion over such accounts in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act by executing and delivering a U.S. investor representation letter to the manager. The Offer Shares are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the U.S. Securities Act and may not be deposited into any unrestricted depositary receipt facility in the United States, unless at the time of deposit the Offer Shares are no longer "restricted securities".
The information in this press release may not be released, published, reproduced or distributed in or to the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa or New Zealand or any other country or jurisdiction where such action is not permitted or where such action is subject to legal restrictions or would require further registration or other measures than what is required by Norwegian and / or Swedish law. Measures contrary to this instruction may constitute a breach of applicable securities legislation.
OSLO, NORWAY – 6 November 2019
Q3 2019 highlights and recent developments
During the third quarter Zwipe focused on extending its technology portfolio and network of partners covering the biometric payment card and wearables value chain:
Status update from the CEO
André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said ”Q3 2019 exceeded our expectations and we are happy with the major milestones we have completed over the last months. The announced collaboration with Idemia on a disruptive technology platform for biometric payments represents a defining moment for Zwipe. The new biometric payments platform will drastically reduce product and manufacturing costs by integrating into a single chip the functions that previously required a Secure Element, a Microcontroller, and more than thirty external components. This enables Zwipe to take a strong cost leadership position and gain competitive advantage as the industry moves towards large-scale volumes.
In parallel, we are forging ahead with our internal research and development activities and have expanded our intellectual property (IP) portfolio. In the period, our in-house IP development has progressed well. Zwipe now has 31 granted patents across 10 patent families in its IP portfolio, representing significant licensing revenue potential for the company going forward. Immediately after the closing of Q3, we announced the successful completion of a two-year development project: a working prototype of our Z5 chip which we plan to commercialize to stakeholders across the payments ecosystem, both as a stand-alone chip and as part of our biometric payment platform, the biometric inlay.
We have complemented our products with services. At the end of the quarter, Zwipe introduced the “Zwipe Experience” to its customers – a comprehensive program of products and services, enabling the card manufacturers to prepare for all aspects of launching biometric payment cards.
With product development taking positive strides, we have also continued expanding our network of customers. In Q3 we added Thailand-based card manufacturer dz card to our already substantial global customer network. Dz card plans to launch biometric payment solutions to address the emerging needs of customers in Thailand and across Southeast Asia, a region poised to see exponential growth in payment card adoption over the coming years.
Beyond dual-interface payment cards, we are pursuing complementary payment solutions where our technology represents a competitive advantage for our customers. During the quarter, we announced that we had been engaged by G+D Mobile Security, one of the world’s largest players within security solutions, to provide product design and prototyping for a wearable biometric payment device to be piloted by a leading bank.
With good momentum in these two emerging product verticals, we are confident that our focus on building relationships with our customers will play a major role in securing both short- and long-term success for the company. The new relationships diversify our customer base and extend our geographical presence, securing ties with regional leading card manufacturers and banks. Industry leaders in the biometric payment industry such as Idemia and G&D are firming up their roles, setting up commercial structures and investing in trial and production capacity. The fact that they select Zwipe as a key partner for their endeavours is a testament to our strong role in the value-chain.
It is exciting for us to see that our future potential is materializing in near-term commercial opportunities. Our initial sales of biometric card inlays, and customer-funded engineering efforts are opening doors for greater opportunities going forward. I am delighted to see that the steps we have taken are starting to bear fruit.”
Financials and Significant Events During Third Quarter 2019
Financial Status
During the third quarter Zwipe had revenues of MNOK 1.0 (0.9) representing sale of products for trial purposes as well as NRE invoiced to certain customers for specific developments. Accumulated revenues for the year amount to MNOK 1.3 (1.6).
Average monthly cash flow during Q3 2019 was MNOK -7.6 (-5.6), compared to MNOK -8.9 in the first half of 2019. The closing cash balance at end of Q3 was MNOK 51.0.
Subsequent event: Completed prototype Zwipe Z5 chip
After closing of the third quarter, Zwipe announced the successful prototype completion and power-on of its in-house developed “Z5” energy harvesting and power management integrated circuit (ASIC). The proprietary new chip is a significant milestone in component consolidation, cost reduction and efficiency improvement for Zwipe. Commercial samples are planned to be ready by mid-2020, by which time mass production can start. The Z5 chip will precede and subsequently complement the emerging biometric payment technology platform announced with Idemia.
OSLO, NORWAY – 14 OCTOBER 2019 – Biometric technology company Zwipe is pleased to announce the prototype manufacturing and successful power-on of its Z5 chip, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed by Zwipe and supported by proprietary energy harvesting IP.
The Zwipe Z5 consolidates components required for contactless energy harvesting and power management in one chip, reducing cost and improving the power efficiency and the manufacturability of embedded biometric solutions. This proprietary embedded chip will be a key commercial element for Zwipe’s biometric products for payment and beyond.
Commenting on this important breakthrough, André Løvestam CEO of Zwipe said, “this is an important milestone for the company, and a key part of Zwipe’s Generation NxT initiative focusing on cost reduction and supply-chain readiness to improve our competitiveness and facilitate our go-to-market and scale-up capacity. Over the coming months, Zwipe will complete verification and qualification. Commercial samples are planned for release mid-2020, at that stage mass production can start.”
The Zwipe Z5 chip will be sold as a single component and as part of Zwipe’s embedded system, the biometric inlay. Target customers are smart card and wearables manufacturers as well as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the emerging biometric payment market and in other verticals.
The development of this component is partially funded through a EUR 2.3 million (NOK 23 million) grant from the European Commission as part of Horizon 2020.
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OSLO, NORWAY– 27 SEPTEMBER 2019 – Biometric technology company Zwipe has today delivered the first order of its second-generation biometric inlay to one of its card manufacturing customers. The order was for a few thousand units and generates revenue of approximately half a million NOK in the third quarter 2019.
“Zwipe’s biometric payment platform is the most widely live-tested solution in the marketplace and it has been progressively updated in terms of performance and cost. We are now starting to provide our second-generation biometric platform and inlay technology to our customers. We are supporting our customers toward achieving a mass-marketable roll-out of their biometric payment cards” says André Løvestam, CEO at Zwipe.
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Courbevoie, FRANCE and Oslo, NORWAY – 19 September 2019 – IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity and one of the world’s largest biometric payment card manufacturers, and Zwipe, a leading biometric technology company, have signed an exclusive partnership and distribution agreement that sees the two companies co-investing in the development of a disruptive biometric payment card platform. The companies’ shared vision is to enable mass volume market take-off and long-term growth for biometric payment cards, by bringing to market a technology platform that will significantly reduce the complexity and cost of the design and production process for biometric payment cards, enabling an accelerated path to mass volumes which will ultimately benefit the issuers and users of cards.
This result is achieved by drastically reducing the number of components, integrating in a single chip the functions that previously required a Secure Element, a Microcontroller, and more than thirty external components, all mounted on a flexible PCB (Printed Circuit Board). Cards incorporating this new technology will be in the market in H2 2020, with high volume deployment starting in 2021.
Speaking on the agreement, Amanda Gourbault, Executive Vice-President for Financial institutions activities at IDEMIA, declared: “this is a strategic, high profile project for IDEMIA. We are very excited about what this platform will enable in terms of market growth and the penetration of biometric payment cards. IDEMIA is delighted to partner with Zwipe, a company with a solid intellectual property portfolio and an expanding global customer network; we are confident that our new solution will command a leading position in the marketplace.”
Zwipe will have worldwide exclusive rights to provide this solution to manufacturers of payment cards, wearables and other payment solutions, and their suppliers, when the product becomes available. IDEMIA has ownership of this technology and will sell F.CODE to its Financial Institutions customers. Once again, by bringing the best of its technology and vision, IDEMIA is driving the growth of the biometric cards market.
Commenting on this major development, André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said “we are excited and proud to enter a significant partnership with IDEMIA, a prominent global industry leader. The platform represents a technological leap that will serve as a catalyst to enable full biometric payment card costs to come down significantly, driving mass volume market growth and complementing our current and future product portfolios. We look forward to bringing this platform to our customers to continue to shape the biometric payments industry.”
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OSLO, NORWAY– 17 SEPTEMBER 2019 – Biometric technology company Zwipe has been selected by Giesecke + Devrient (G+D) Mobile Security, one of the world’s largest mobile and digital security providers to develop a biometric payment device with a view to pilot this technology with leading banks.
Speaking on the partnership with Zwipe, Gabrielle Bugat, Group Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Financial Services at G+D Mobile Security, said “We have selected Zwipe because of their proven ability to integrate biometrics with payment functionalities into an extremely space and energy-constrained environment,” adding “we are confident that this joint effort will help establish new opportunities in the emerging biometric payments marketplace.”
Zwipe will provide the technical design and core components for integration into a wearable device with the digital security provider integrating the payment platform and personalising the product for use as a payment solution.
Commenting on this commercial effort, André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said “Our new customer, G+D is one of the world’s largest players in security solutions and we are excited to launch this collaboration.”
The joint development is commencing now, and the two parties plan to announce the start of any pilot when the product is ready for trials.
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BANGKOK, THAILAND – 11 SEPTEMBER 2019 – Biometric technology company Zwipe and dz card a global card solution provider and one of the largest card manufacturers in Southeast Asia, have signed a partnership to launch biometric payment solutions addressing the emerging needs of customers in Thailand and across Southeast Asia, as well as India and Africa.
Speaking on the engagement, Mr. Renaud ADAM – CEO of dz card said, “we have received requests from several large issuers seeking biometric payment cards and we are excited to partner with Zwipe, who is uniquely positioned to support our customers in introducing, optimizing and scaling up the issuance of this innovative product which makes contactless payment so much more secure.”
dz card will look to integrate Zwipe’s technology platform in bringing their biometric payment cards and other associated solutions to market, featuring Zwipe’s proprietary biometric payment platform and secure at-home enrolment offering.
Commenting on this latest customer acquisition André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said, “we are honored that dz card decided to join our growing customer base and we are confident that our unique and dedicated approach to support them in launching biometric payment cards will be a win for their customers, some of the largest financial institutions in Southeast Asia.”
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OSLO, NORWAY – 3 September 2019- Biometric technology company Zwipe will explore a potential listing on Nasdaq Stockholm's First North Growth Market. The timing of such a listing remains to be evaluated.
Commenting on this development, CEO of Zwipe André Løvestam said “the past several months has seen major stakeholders in the emerging biometric payment market invest in preparations for commercialization of biometric payment cards and accompanying offerings. This vote of confidence and positive outlook has enabled several new strategic opportunities for Zwipe that are currently being pursued. On this basis, the Board of Directors has concluded an intent to list on Nasdaq Stockholm's First North Growth Market”, adding “listing on Nasdaq First North Growth Market will take the company closer to the majority of its investors and open up a larger and more dynamic trading market for its shares.”
Please see Zwipe’s Interim Report January to June 2019 on the company’s website, www.zwipe.com for more information about the company’s status and outlook.
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Oslo, Norway - 3 September 2019
Biometric technology company Zwipe today announces its Interim Report January to June 2019:
First Half Year
Significant events during the period
Significant events after the period
CEO comment
André Løvestam, Chief Executive Officer at Zwipe, said “Zwipe had significant progress during the first half of 2019. During the period we added five new card manufacturing customers across the world, significantly broadening our customer base. At the same time, multiple pilots with existing customers, banks and payment networks, have provided strong results and given us unique insights as we progress towards commercial adoption of our offerings.
Over the course of this summer, accredited third-party labs used for validation by the major payment networks have confirmed that Zwipe’s platform is comfortably surpassing the biometric performance, security and interoperability requirements for certification to be awarded to card manufacturers.
During the first half of 2019 multiple card manufacturers have started the capital-intensive process of launching biometric payment card specific manufacturing lines, semiconductor providers have begun the development of dedicated offerings for this emerging market, and the entire value chain supporting these processes has started moving more aggressively.
This vote of confidence of the future prospects in biometric payment cards and wearables has opened up several new strategic opportunities for Zwipe; opportunities that we are now pursuing at full speed.
Based on this confirmation of Zwipe’s value proposition and long-term prospects, the Board of Directors has concluded an intent to list on Nasdaq Stockholm's First North Growth Market, thereby further accelerating and supporting the company's development.
I am confident that Zwipe is well positioned to unlock the exciting opportunities coming our way and I am looking forward to the next phase of our journey.”
Please find the full report attached or on the company’s website www.zwipe.com.
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OSLO, NORWAY – 23 July 2021 – As Zwipe continues to expand its relationship with smartcard manufacturers around the world, we are pleased to announce that a Global Tier 1 smartcard manufacturer has taken delivery of Zwipe Pay ONE components to evaluate inhouse manufacturing of biometric payment cards using Zwipe’s latest technology. Zwipe is a biometric fintech pioneering next generation contactless payment globally.
Zwipe Pay ONE is the world’s first single silicon based biometric payment platform offered to card manufacturers globally. It provides best in class biometric performance and energy efficiency at highly competitive prices. By enabling standard production processes and significantly lowering yield losses, it is designed to be mass market ready, delivering a significant improvement in both the consumer experience and the commercial benefits. Recent consumer studies demonstrate a very positive return on investment for this product enabling a strong business case for manufacturers and issuers to adopt it. Zwipe Pay ONE has delivered on its original design goals and offers significant opportunities across the payments value chain.
“As organisations around the world adapt to the increasing demands of their customers, we are seeing smartcard manufacturers gearing up to be able to supply this latest generation of biometric payment cards. This new initiative by one of the world's largest manufacturers signifies a key development for Zwipe as we move towards our new payment technology becoming a mainstream proposition for issuers and cardholders,” added André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing technology to 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:
André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and LES PAILLES, MAURITIUS – 16 JULY 2021 – Biometric fintech company, Zwipe and ICPS, a leading international card payment processor and card personalization bureau, are partnering to bring Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric payment cards to banks across Africa and Asia.
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the use of contactless technology and ultimately the need for consumers and businesses to make higher-value payments using contactless cards. However, the contactless limit increase for payments also posed a higher risk for users without an additional layer of security.
ICPS and Zwipe have partnered to bring biometric payment cards enabled with fingerprint sensors. With a fingerprint sensor embedded in the card, consumers will now benefit from an extra layer of security with no need to enter a PIN code on the POS terminal.
Zwipe will provide the complete Zwipe Pay ONE package comprising Biometric ISO contact plate module, Passive inlay, Fingerprint sensor, OS license and enrollment sleeves. As part of this collaboration, both companies will work closely to promote the disruptive Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric payment cards for ICPS’ issuers in Africa and Asia.
“As a provider of innovative payment services in the African continent, we pride ourselves in delivering future proof innovations. Together with Zwipe we will bring a new payment solution that will help financial institutions to differentiate their services, provide safer and much more secure payment solutions and uplift customer loyalty. Zwipe is a well-regarded technology brand in the biometric payment space and we are very happy to join forces with them”, said Khevin Seebah, CEO at ICPS.
ICPS has a portfolio of more than 30 clients based in 22 countries in Africa and Southeast Asia. The company, which is based in Mauritius, provides payment processing and consultancy services for banks, financial institutions, and telecom operators. ICPS hosts more than six million cards, drives over 600 ATMs and 11,000 point of sale terminals, and processes over 10 million transactions on its platform each month.
André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said: “We are delighted to collaborate with ICPS and bring the next generation of contactless payment cards to banks in Africa and Asia. ICPS’ strong position among financial institutions across Afica and Asia, and Zwipe’s disruptive technology and deep expertise within biometric payment cards, will create a strategic foundation for a mutually rewarding partnership.”
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About ICPS
Founded in 2008, ICPS a subsidiary of the HPS Group, the latter being a leading global cards and payments technology provider serving 450 issuers and acquirers in 90 countries across five continents. Based in Mauritius, the firm provides payment-processing services for banks, financial institutions and telecom operators. It currently has a rich portfolio of more than 30 clients in 22 countries in Africa and Asia, which includes some of the world’s leading banks. ICPS activity covers hosting of more than six million cards, driving of more than 600 ATMs and 11,000 point of sale terminals, and processes more than 10 million transactions each month.
To learn more, visit https://www.icps.mu/
About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing technology to 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:
Mr. André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
ICPS Sales team businessdevtraining@icps.mu
Summer Greetings from André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe
OSLO, NORWAY - 9 JULY 2021
Dear stakeholders of Zwipe,
Through the first half of 2021, our global payment ecosystem of Smart Card Manufacturers, Payment Processors, Banks and Go-to-market Partners has continued to expand at a rapid pace, further strengthening our foundation for future market success. In these challenging times, our growing team of competent and passionate Zwipers, spanning 14 different nationalities in nine countries across three different continents and five time zones from Colorado Springs to Singapore, has demonstrated exceptional teamwork with a solid focus on customers. I am delighted to share that the interest in biometric payment cards based on Zwipe technology, which deliver a more convenient, secure and safe means to pay, has never been stronger. The voices of consumers captured by Zwipe in the UK, USA, Canada, Sweden, Norway and Romania since August last year are encouraging and consistent with similar findings from card schemes and other industry players.
Entering the Indian subcontinent and APAC region
In the first half of 2021, we announced six new Smart Card Manufacturers into our ecosystem:
Together, these manufacturers deliver around 200 million payment cards annually. In addition, we extended and expanded our partnership with TAG Systems, who delivers 100 million payment cards annually. Looking forward, it is great to see that our SCM and processor and issuer pipelines continue to grow.
The encouraging developments with card manufacturers received a big boost when Asia’s largest payment processor, Financial Software and Systems (FSS) embraced our next-generation payment cards platform based on Zwipe Pay ONE technology. FSS manages over 800 million cards, and we are now working with them to bring our ground-breaking innovation globally. We also strengthened our regional presence by appointing Masterline and Sonali Intellect Ltd. as our business development partners in India and Bangladesh, respectively.
Acceleration in the MENA Region and Europe
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On the back of growing demand for biometric payments cards in the MENA region, Network International (NI), providing payment services to over 200 banks in Middle East and Africa, and Middle East Payment Services (MEPS), a leading payment service provider in the Levant region, entered new partnerships with Zwipe. NI and MEPS have boosted our reach and delivery capabilities in the MENA Region, on top of our already strong network of prominent partners in the region, notably Masria Digital Payments, Inkript, areeba and Veritech. To effectively serve our growing partner network and issuers, we appointed Ramzi Saboury as the General Manager for the MENA region. Ramzi brings over 26 years of experience and network in payment services in MENA from leadership roles in Kuwaiti banks, VISA and areeba.
Europe and the UK
In the past few months, we have seen an increasing in-flow of interest from card manufacturers in multiple regions, most notably in Europe. The same can be said for issuer engagements that come through our Processor Partners and Card Manufacturers in Europe, especially in the UK and Nordics. This is proof that our “Megaphone” partner strategy works! Swedish fintech VOPY, providing embedded financial services to clients globally, and France-based payment service provider, be ys Pay, selected Zwipe Pay ONE (ZPO) cards for their ssuers, aiming to pilot Zwipe Pay ONE this year. Both these developments came within months of OP Bank’s decision to pilot with cards based on the Zwipe Pay ONE platform togheter with our Go-to-market partner, TietoEVRY. OP is Finland’s largest financial services group and serves over four million customers.
Delivery of Zwipe Pay ONE on track
We had strong progress in the development of Zwipe Pay ONE, the world’s first Single Silicon based biometric payment platform offered to card manufacturers globally. In April 2021, we demonstrated our enrollment solution and touch-free payment transactions above the transaction cap at a Point-of-Sales terminal with test keys to emulate fully EMV authorized and authenticated transactions in a live environment. The feedback from the market was very positive as everyone could see how these cards quickly and reliably provide a considerable boost to user experience and security.
In fact, we have now passed most critical milestones and major risk points,with only piloting and certification left before commercialization in mass volumes.
Next steps – pilots and certification
Apart from pilots planned from late this quarter, certification will represent the last milestone before commercialization. We have already performed pre-tests at accredited test labs with excellent results.
We are now working closely with the card schemes to secure these processes, which will be explained in detail during our H1 2021 reporting on 26 August. In the coming weeks, we will start handing out Zwipe Pay ONE demo cards to issuers and partners and continue to help them prepare for commercial launches.
Zwipe 2.0
Last, but not least, H1 2021 has seen further strengthening of our team across all functions – commercial, technical, operational and regional. We have engaged every Zwiper in developing and honing our Winning Team Culture, with our Core Values driving us to be Innovative, Collaborative, Adaptable and Passionate. Each recruitment is intended not only to add capacity, but also to uplift our team. I am also pleased to see further strengthening of our board.
I take this opportunity to thank each member of the Zwipe team for their remarkable effort and passion to our mission of Making Convenience safe and secure. My thanks also go out to all our customers, partners, and shareholders for sharing this mission as strongly as every Zwiper.
I wish each one of you a very safe and happy summer ahead!
OSLO, NORWAY and AMMAN, JORDAN – 24 JUNE 2021 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and Network International Services Limited Jordan PSC (NI) have decided to collaborate to address the growing demand for biometric payment solutions in the Levant region.
The Network International Group is the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). It provides a robust suite of payment products and services that are on the cutting-edge of technology development. In 2020, Network processed over 750 million payment transactions for more than 200 financial institutions, 80,000 merchants and over 16 million cards.
Speaking on the collaboration, Amjad Al-Sadeq, Regional President – Levant at Network International Services Limited Jordan PSC, said: “COVID-19 has accelerated a mega-shift in our region towards more secure and hygienic payments. We are confident that our issuer clients and consumers will embrace biometric payment cards as they provide an excellent check-out experience with much higher security. Zwipe Pay ONE cards will enrich our payment portfolio and further reinforce our innovation leadership.”
Zwipe will provide Network International with technical support and services for the implementation of Zwipe Pay ONE biometric cards including deliveries to the issuers. The Zwipe Pay ONE-powered cards will be delivered by one of Zwipe’s certified smart card manufacturers in the region.
“The Levant is a key growth market for Zwipe in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Network International is the largest player in this vast region, and their strong relations with many prominent banks across the Middle East and Africa will be a significant complement to Zwipe’s technology leadership. We are honored to work with Network International to accelerate the deployment of biometric payment cards,” said Ramzi Saboury, General Manager for Zwipe in the MENA region.
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
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About Network International
Network International comprises of a group of companies and is the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, providing a full suite of technology-enabled payments solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all types and sizes, including acquiring and processing services and a comprehensive ever-evolving range of value-added services.
Network International Holdings Plc is the holding company for Network International and the group companies.
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 and 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 and DHAKA, BANGLADESH – 18 JUNE 2021 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe has appointed Sonali Intellect Limited as its sales and strategic business development partner to accelerate the adoption of biometric payment cards in Bangladesh. With 166 million inhabitants and a fast growing base of 22 million payment cards (credit cards grew 50% between 2019-20), Bangladesh represents a strategic growth opportunity for both partners.
For almost a decade, Sonali Intellect Limited (SIL) has been leading the modernization of the largest banks of Bangladesh, notably Sonali Bank and Rupali Bank. SIL delivers cutting edge financial technology solutions to Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sectors in Bangladesh. SIL’s portfolio comprises Card Management Systems, Core Banking (Conventional and Islamic), Trade Finance, Treasury, Cash and Liquidity Management, Supply Chain Finance, Contact Centre, Brokerage and Wealth Management. Today, the SIL platform serves 2 banks, 1806 branches and 25.4 million end users.
"We are excited to partner with Zwipe and bring their ground-breaking payment innovation in Bangladesh. Biometric Payment Cards, due to their state-of-art security and world-class user experience will play a key role in fighting fraud, driving digital inclusion, and ensuring a seamless checkout experience for consumers. We have already started engaging with many key banks in the market and their early feedback has been encouraging”, says S.M. Jahangir Akhter, CEO of SIL.
As part of the collaboration both companies will work closely to help banks, card personalization bureaus and processors in Bangladesh to support Zwipe Pay ONE cards with the ambition to deliver pilots later this year.
Commenting on the sales partnership, André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe, says, "We are glad to partner with Sonali Intellect Limited. Their local market insights, deep relations with issuers and strong track record of innovation in financial services have already proven effective and align well with our expansion plans in high growth, high potential markets, such as Bangladesh. SIL has uncovered and demonstrated real market interest in Bangladesh, and we will collaborate closely to help the issuers pilot and roll out Zwipe powered biometric payment cards”.
For further information, please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
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About Sonali Intellect Limited
Sonali Intellect Limited, a financial technology solution provider, was incorporated as a joint venture company in 2012 by Intellect Design Arena Limited (erstwhile ‘Polaris FT Limited’) - a leading global financial technology group and Sonali Bank Ltd.- largest State Owned bank to deliver high quality IT solutions.
Sonali Intellect Limited provides cutting edge financial technology solutions to Banking, Financial Services and Insurance sectors in Bangladesh. Sonali Intellect Limited has adapted the best practices around software product development, delivery and implementation from Intellect Design Arena Limited. It is also backed by Intellect Design Arena Limited’s global experience and world-class management practices.
On the other hand, it has full-fledged development and support center in Bangladesh maintained by experienced local resources. These enable Sonali Intellect Limited to provide world-class solution and support services from its local development center to its customers in Bangladesh.
The company is leading the modernization of the largest bank of Bangladesh- Sonali Bank Limited and Rupali Bank Limited.
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 and DHAKA, BANGLADESH – 16 JUNE 2021 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and Silkways Card & Printing Ltd (Silkcard), a leading provider of payment cards in Bangladesh, are partnering to bring biometric payment cards enabled by Zwipe Pay ONE technology to financial institutions and card issuers.
Silkcard is a fully functional EMV certified smart card manufacturer and personalization bureau with more than 15 years of experience in card production and personalization. It delivers a variety of cards to banking and retail customers in Bangladesh and abroad. Currently it delivers over 12 million payment cards annually.
“Biometric Payment Cards is a high-impact initiative and the future of contactless payments, lifting safety and convenience to a completely new level for our issuer customers and consumers alike. We see Zwipe Pay ONE as the state-of-the-art technology on biometric payment cards and look forward to a close collaboration with Zwipe,” says Sk Farid Ahmed, Managing Director of Silkways Card & Printing Ltd.
As part of the collaboration, Zwipe will deliver the Zwipe Pay ONE technology platform and expert guidance to help Silkcard manufacture and personalize biometric card payments for issuer clients. Silkcard will also work with Zwipe in commercializing biometric payment solutions in Bangladesh, helping the banks through all stages of pilot, launch and mass market rollout.
“We are very pleased to partner with Silkcard, one of the strongest providers in Bangladesh. With a population of over 166 million and an economy growing over 7% per year, this market represents significant growth potential for our innovation from security, financial inclusion and innovation perspectives. Together with Silkcard we will bring next-generation contactless payment cards in this fast-growing market,” says André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About Silkways Card & Printing Ltd
Silkways card & printing Ltd (Silkcard) is a pioneering venture for manufacturing & personalization of smartcards in Bangladesh with its state-of-the-art production facility located at the heart of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The vision of Silkcard is to comply with the ethical standards in business operations, financial disclosures, accountability and legal compliance. To learn more, visit www.silkways.net/silkcard
For further information please contact: Sk. Farid Ahmed Manik, MD, +88 01711 527359
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 AMMAN, JORDAN – 2 June 2021 – Middle East Payment Services (MEPS), a leading regional one-stop-shop for payment services and products, is partnering with biometric fintech Zwipe to bring next generation contactless payment cards in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
MEPS is a principal issuer and acquirer of payment cards in Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, and provides card issuance services to 27 financial institutions in this territory. The two organizations will collaborate closely, offering a more seamless and secure payment solution to customers by combining MEPS’s Issuance Platform and the Zwipe Pay ONE biometric card platform, supported by Zwipe’s card manufacturing partners in the MENA region.
Commenting on the partnership Ali Abdel Jabbar, Chief Executive Officer at MEPS, said “We are delighted to take this big step with Zwipe, a well-known technology brand in biometric payments. The disruptive Zwipe Pay ONE platform based on “single silicon” design will help us to uplift our end-to-end payments offering to our bank clients in the region. Zwipe Pay ONE is recognized as the most advanced (Gen3) biometric payment technology and complements MEPS’ innovative card portfolio. We are aiming to make it available for our clients for piloting and commercial deployment during H2 2021”.
As part of this collaboration, MEPS will offer Zwipe Pay ONE biometric payment cards with primary focus on Jordan, Iraq and Palestine. Both partners will start engaging with issuers from Q2 2021. “MEPS is one of the pioneers in delivering innovative payment solution in the MENA region. We are very pleased that MEPS will deliver its next generation payment cards based on the Zwipe Pay ONE platform. This collaboration will further strengthen our footprints in the MENA region and accelerate the deployment of Zwipe Pay ONE in one of the world’s most dynamic markets for digital payments,” said Ramzi Saboury, General Manager for Zwipe in the MENA Region.
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About MEPS
Middle East Payment Services (MEPS), founded in 2009, is a Principal Issuer and Acquirer of Visa, MasterCard, and UnionPay, with presence in Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine. The company offers financial institutions, merchants, and corporations, a complete range of secure payment solutions in card issuance / hosting, payment processing, alternative payments, ecommerce acquiring, point-of-sale (POS) acquiring, ATM driving and management, and customized value-added services adhering to PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). MEPS is owned by 10 Jordanian and regional banks.
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 – 2 June 2021 – In accordance with the mandate given at Zwipe AS’s annual general meeting on 19 May 2021 to the board of directors (“the Board”) to issue new options to the company’s employees under the company's existing long-term incentive program, the Board has resolved to issue 220,000 new share options to primary insiders.
The strike price was set at NOK 30.13 in accordance with established principles in the program.
The following primary insiders in the Company have been granted additional share options by the Board:
The existing share-based incentive program covers employees and members of the Board. Each option gives the holder the right to acquire one share from the company at a strike price defined in the individual share option agreement. All options are conditional that the grantee remains employed. All vested options may be exercised in any period prior to the expiry date. The options vest every 6 months over 3 years from grant date and may be exercised at vesting. The share-based incentive program is dedicated for allocation to company management and employees, whereby they may be offered the opportunity of participating in a value growth in company shares. This is expected to lead to an increase in interest in the company’s value development.
Until the AGM in 2022, the Board is authorized to issue up to 2,306,319 options, of which a total of 1,911,000 options have now been issued.
Primary insider notifications pursuant to article 19 of the market abuse regulation are linked to from the document:
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This information is subject to the disclosure requirements in Regulation EU 596/2014 article 19 number 3 and the Norwegian Securities Trading Act § 5-12, and 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. 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 23:30 2 June 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:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
lars.kristian@zwipe.com
Correction of Annual General Meeting minutes published 19 May - Corrected name Board of Directors:
OSLO, NORWAY– 19 May 2021 – The Annual General Meeting in Zwipe AS (Company) was held today. All proposed resolutions were approved unanimously in accordance with the call for the meeting. The minutes of Annual General Meeting are included as an attachment. The complete proposal, which was approved by the Annual General Meeting, is available on www.zwipe.com for further reference. The attendants of the AGM represented 27.3% of the votes in the company.
The following matters were reviewed and confirmed:
Approval of the annual report and financial statements for 2020:
The board’s proposal for the annual report and the financial statements for 2020 for the Company and the group were unanimously approved.
Election of members to the Board of Directors:
The following persons were unanimously elected to as the new Board of Directors:
Jörgen Lantto, Chairman of the board
Diderik Schonheyder
Johan Biehl
Dennis Jones
Stina Granberg
Tanya Juul Kjaer
Remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors and the members of the Nomination Committee
Remuneration to the Board members for the period from the AGM in 2021 until the AGM in 2022 were unanimously approved as follows:
Chairman of the Board: NOK 260,000,-
Members of the Board: NOK 130,000,-
No remuneration to the members of the Nomination Committee was resolved.
Board authorizations to increase the share capital and instructions to the Board regarding use of the authorization to increase the shares capital to strengthen the Company's equity
The Board proposed that two new authorizations for the Board on capital increases are issued, (i) to fulfil the Company's incentive program and (ii) to cater for strengthening of the Company's equity (extract, please see the attachment to the notice for the complete proposal).
i. Authorization for capital increase to fulfill the Company's incentive program
The Annual General Meeting resolved that the Board is hereby granted authorization to increase the share capital of Zwipe AS (the Company), on one or several occasions, with up to NOK 230,631.90 (2,306,319 new shares), equivalent to 7 % of the registered share capital at the time of this resolution. The authorization shall remain in force until the end of the annual general meeting 2022, however not beyond 30 June 2022. The pre-emptive right of the shareholders to subscribe may be set aside.
ii. Authorization for capital increase to strengthen the Company's equity
The Annual General Meeting resolved that the General Meeting granted a new authorization to the Board to issue shares corresponding to up to 15% of the share capital, and the new authorization shall be restricted to issue of shares to strengthen the Company's equity to the extent the Board considers this to be in the Company's best interest at the given time.
The authorization shall remain in force until the end of the annual general meeting 2022, however not beyond 30 June 2022. The pre-emptive right of the shareholders to subscribe may be set aside.
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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 Oslo 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, on May 20, 2021 at 09:15 CEST
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 contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
