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– 26 January 2021 – Reference is made to the notice made public by Zwipe AS (the "Company") on 7 January 2021 at 16:29 of an extraordinary general meeting in the Company scheduled to be held on 28 January 2021 at 10:00 CET. Due to the recent increase in the applicable Covid-19 restrictions, the Company has decided that the meeting will be held with only digital participation. No physical participation will be facilitated.
If you have registered your interest in accordance with the notice of the extraordinary meeting and want to participate, please send a request via e-mail to the Company to ir@zwipe.com by CET 16:00 on 27 January 2021 to receive an invitation.
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Euronext Growth Market in Oslo and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on 26 January 2021 at 11:30 CEST.
Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 528 00 399
For more information contact: Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO, +47 991 66 135 ir@zwipe.com
About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 07 January 2021 - The board of directors of Zwipe AS call for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 28 January 2021 at 10:00 CET.
Please find enclosed the notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting.
Following the capital increase in September and November, the nomination committee and the board of directors (the "Board") in Zwipe have assessed the need for changes to the nomination committee, so that the new nomination committee may assess the need for changes to the board of directors prior to the annual general meeting in 2021.
As part of its work on proposing new candidates for election to the nomination committee, the nomination committee, consisting of Paal Raaholt, Magnus Berner and Jörgen Lantto, has been in contact with several key persons related to Zwipe. The nomination committee has been in contact with shareholders, in particular the new major shareholder Vasastaden, as well as previous major shareholder (and now second largest shareholder) Lars Windfeldt. The nomination committee has also been in contact with the Board and the company's management, prior to presenting their proposal to the Board.
Resulting from these contacts, the nomination committee proposes that a new nomination committee is elected, consisting of Niclas Eriksson (Vasastaden), Lars Windfeldt and Jörgen Lantto.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Zwipe, I welcome the fact that our new major shareholder Vasastaden, a renowned Swedish institutional investor, wishes to take an active role as member of Zwipe’s nomination committee through its Chairman, Niclas Eriksson. I also welcome that Lars Windfeldt, who has been a major shareholder for Zwipe since 2011, wishes to join the nomination committee as its Chairman. The fact that our two largest shareholders wish to invest their time and energy into supporting the company, besides their capital investments, is very encouraging” said Jörgen Lantto, chairman of the Board of Zwipe.
As a result of this, the Board decided to call for an Extraordinary General Meeting, and proposed the following agenda:
Opening of the general meeting by the chair of the Board. Registration of meeting shareholders
Election of a meeting chairperson and person to co-sign the minutes together with the chairperson
Approval of the notice and the agenda
Election of members to the nomination committee
Proposed decisions from the Board (extracts only, please see the attachments to the notice for the full proposals)
Matter no. 4: Election of members to the nomination committee
In accordance with the proposal from the nomination committee and the support from the board of directors, the Board propose the following new nomination committee is elected:
Niclas Eriksson
Lars Windfeldt
Jörgen Lantto
Further it is proposed that Lars Windfeldt is appointed as the chair of the nomination committee.
Notice of attendance, in person or by proxy, shall be given no later than 27 January 2021 at 16:00 CET. Shareholders are encouraged to register via the following link here.
Alternatively, the attached form may be sent by e-mail to genf@dnb.no, or regular post to DNB Bank ASA, Verdipapirservice, NO-0021 Oslo.
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, at 16:30 CET on 7 January 2021.
Season's Greetings from André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe
OSLO, NORWAY - 23 DECEMBER 2020 - Zwipe is enjoying strong traction in the payments industry with solid operational and commercial progress this fall and early winter.
Leading stakeholders in the global payments industry are engaging with Zwipe because of our full dedication to biometric payment solutions, and our leading technology platform, Zwipe Pay ONE. To support our global efforts, we have recruited seasoned experts, both commercial and technical, from leading companies to accelerate our mission of bringing the next generation contactless payment solutions globally.
Acceleration in partnerships and issuer engagements
Our collaboration with TietoEVRY, a leader in payment services in the Nordics and Baltics, has already proven highly effective in accelerating commercialisation of Zwipe Pay ONE. Within weeks of our go-to-market agreement we jointly secured the first pilot on Zwipe Pay ONE with OP, the largest Financial Services Group in Finland. The bank aims to bring biometric payment cards to the market after the pilot. At the same time, many more dialogues with banks are ongoing, boding well for further commercialization in Europe and beyond.
Consolidating our global delivery footprint
We continued to leverage and expand our strong global partner network. In the last six weeks alone, we consolidated our position in the Middle East significantly, cementing and finalising our technology and go-to-market partnerships with three leading players in card payments, areeba, Inkript and VeriTech. Our partners have already started to put biometric payments on the agenda of leading issuers in the Middle East. We are also gaining momentum in other fast-moving regions. During the year, we also announced five new smart card manufacturing customers (in Asia, LATAM and Europe) and some first small orders.
Continuous progress equals de-risking
Monday 21 December, Zwipe and Idemia announced that the next generation biometric card secure chip they are co-investing in, has obtained the ICCN security certificate from EMVCo, as planned. Zwipe has worldwide exclusive rights to this disruptive single-chip biometric technology which, combined with our comprehensive biometric system on card offering and our deep technical and ecosystem expertise, is what makes Zwipe the natural “One Stop Shop” for all smart card manufacturers aiming to meet the soaring demand for a more convenient, truly contact free payment experience. The ICCN certification is one important step further in de-risking our solution towards the long awaited launch in 2021.
Looking ahead
In 2020 we have experienced increased interest in biometric payment cards with commercial activities picking up and first rollouts finally commencing on certified biometric card platforms. We look forward to more such rollouts during 2021 as the now mobilized ecosystem gains pace.
Market studies from the Nordics, the UK and the United States show strong demand from consumers for safer and more secure contact-free payments. A vast majority of consumers want their next payment cards to be biometric, and 1 in 2 is even prepared to pay a meaningful fee to the issuers for all the benefits that next generation cards deliver. We seem to face a broad, mass market demand, rather than a niche market demand only. Consequently, the long-term potential of the market for biometric payment cards (BPCs) seems to be much larger than previously anticipated. The recent ABI Research report on BPCs pointed to the likely long-term scenario that biometric payment cards will eventually take over from today’s contactless cards. In fact, I believe that biometrics will be as ubiquitous in payment cards towards the end of this decade as it is in mobile phones today.
We announced the first commitment for a pilot on Zwipe Pay ONE in 2020 and expect many more to come, laying the foundations for the first commercial deployments in 2021. While COVID-19 did cause some delays across some parts of our ecosystem, we also experienced an unprecedented acceleration in our engagements with issuers and card manufacturers in H2 2020. We are confident that our continuous progress and strategic go-to-market partnerships, as well as our technological leadership in biometric payment, are laying the foundation for a long journey of value creation for our customers, our shareholders and for society at large. We remain focused on securing important commercial wins going forward.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank each valued member of my outstanding team at Zwipe for their relentless efforts and to thank our customers, partners and shareholders for their immense faith in Zwipe.
On behalf of everyone at Zwipe, I wish you all safe and happy holidays. See you all in 2021!
Here is an overview of our recent major announcements:
Zwipe strengthens organization with top payments industry talents
Zwipe and VeriTech partner to deliver next generation contactless payments in Kuwait
Swedish consumer survey shows large interest in biometric payment cards in response to COVID-19
# # #
About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY AND COURBEVOIE, FRANCE – 21 December 2020 - IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, has obtained, as planned, the ICCN security certificate from EMVCo, for the next generation biometric card secure chip, for which ZWIPE has secured worldwide distribution rights[1].This is a major step forward in delivering on our joint vision of an affordable biometric card for all.
In a context where global demand for contactless payments is booming, biometric cards are best placed to ensure secure, hygienic and convenient payments. The exclusive partnership and distribution agreement between IDEMIA and ZWIPE aims to promote biometric card as the reference for tomorrow’s contactless payments.
The ICCN[2] security certificate is a key milestone towards the next generation biometric card and confirms IDEMIA's outstanding expertise in the field of payments and biometrics. Our biometric payment chip complies with the most demanding performance and security criteria for a safe and convenient payment experience.
Ready-to-roll-out in the second half of 2021, the new generation biometric cards, FCODE Gen2 for IDEMIA, and the ZWIPE Pay ONE technology platform for ZWIPE, will deliver state-of-the art performance and security, as per market and schemes requirements. IDEMIA leverages its unique combination of payment, biometrics technologies and expertise to drive adoption, and accelerate market growth together with ZWIPE.
“With this new generation of biometric cards, we want to shape the future of payment and to offer an unparalleled and affordable technological experience, accessible to all. We are proud that IDEMIA's cutting-edge technology can deliver a new, more secure user experience to the market. Our ambition is to make biometric card a reality and more than ever, we are on the right track”, said Amanda Gourbault, IDEMIA’s Executive Vice-President Financial Institutions.
“The ICCN security certificate from EMVCo is an important step towards offering ZWIPE Pay ONE to our global customer network. This disruptive biometric technology platform, combined with our deep technical and market expertise, is what makes ZWIPE the natural One Stop Shop for all smart card manufacturers aiming to meet the soaring demand from issuers and consumers for a more convenient, truly contact free payment experience”, said André Løvestam, CEO of ZWIPE.
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About ZWIPE
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free.
To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com / Follow @zwipe on Twitter
For further information, please contact André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 / ir@zwipe.com
About IDEMIA
IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.
Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.
For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IDEMIAGroup on Twitter
Press contact: Hanna Sebbah, idemia@havas.com /+33 (0) 6 63 73 30 30
[1] IDEMIA and ZWIPE partner to offer a disruptive biometric payments card platform, September 2019
[1]IDEMIA, ZWIPE and IDEX achieve key milestone towards next generation biometric card platform, April 2020
[2] ICCN: Integrated Circuit Certificate Number, a unique number that identifies the EMVCo compliance certificate for an IC
OSLO, NORWAY – 08 December 2020 – Zwipe, a leading biometric fintech company, is pleased to confirm that it has appointed John Goodale, formerly Senior Vice President, Sales Operations at TSYS International, as its new Chief Sales Officer, Andy Saines, formerly Sales Director at Giesecke + Devrient, as VP Key Accounts and Anders Bigseth, formerly PR Lead at Huawei Norway, as VP Marketing and Communications.
Mr. Goodale joins Zwipe in January 2021 after spending nearly two decades at TSYS, one of the world’s largest payments processors, serving in a variety of senior business development roles where his business acumen, coupled with his technical knowledge, has enabled him to develop compelling sales propositions and win new business across a broad portfolio of financial products and services all over the world. Mr. Goodale will lead Zwipe’s engagement and conversion efforts with smart card manufacturers, while also supporting engagement with issuers and selected go-to-market partners to further strengthen Zwipe’s position in the global biometric payments market.
Mr. Saines joins Zwipe from January 2021 from Giesecke + Devrient Mobile Security, one of the world’s largest card manufacturers, where he served for nearly five years as UK Sales Director. Before that, he spent 18 years at Entrust Datacard, of which the last 5 years were as EMEA Sales Director. He brings with him extensive smart card industry experience and deep knowledge of card issuance solutions. As VP of Key Accounts, Mr. Saines will be responsible for driving deeper relations and business with strategic accounts.
Mr. Bigseth joined Zwipe as of 1 December 2020 with an award-winning background in public relations and communications, serving in a variety of senior communication positions at DNB, Teller (formerly Visa Norway), Telia and most recently Huawei, where he led public relations efforts in Norway. As VP Marketing and Communications, Mr. Bigseth will utilize his extensive communications experience and media network to further Zwipe’s strong position within the fast-growing segment of next generation contactless payments.
“The biometric payments marketplace is evolving quickly, and we see a strong increase in the demand for Zwipe’s products and services globally. I am delighted that we have been able to attract such qualified and talented new team members from such prominent companies. This is a testament to our strong position and future outlook,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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OSLO, NORWAY and KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT – 03 December 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and VeriTech, the leading payment and banking technology solutions provider in Kuwait, have partnered to address the growing demand for biometric payment solutions in Kuwait and across the Middle East.
VeriTech is the market leading provider of EMV payment card personalization, self-service kiosks, POS and Mobile NFC and Host Card Emulation to banks in Kuwait. Its vision is to be acknowledged as the trusted banking and payment distributor of leading next generation payment solutions across EMEA, whilst exceeding its partners and stakeholders’ expectations.
Speaking on the partnership Shakeel Khokhar, CEO of VeriTech, said “Kuwait has been a test bed and early adopter of innovative payment offerings for many years. Having seen firsthand other solutions in the market, we are excited to embrace Zwipe Pay ONE as our preferred biometric payment card product,” adding “the urgency with which issuers are demanding more contact-free payment alternatives is really driving interest and investment in this area with some of the largest banks in the region who we count as customers.”
Through this partnership, Zwipe will provide key components for the Zwipe Pay ONE biometric payments platform and take lead on providing advisory services directly to banks and card issuers focusing on user experience in close collaboration with VeriTech.
“This partnership is another big step forward for Zwipe in driving our continued expansion in the Middle East where we have a strong network of technology partners in place. Working closely with VeriTech, we will be harnessing both companies’ unique technology, product and market assets, including VeriTech’s close relationships with leading banks in Kuwait, to offer innovative biometric payment solutions” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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OSLO, NORWAY– 23 November 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe confirms that its Zwipe Pay ONE platform will be incorporated in the recently announced market pilot with TietoEVRY and OP Financial Group. OP is Finland’s largest financial services group offering banking, non-life insurance and wealth management services for over four million customers. TietoEVRY is the leading provider of software and digital banking services and a leader in card payment services in Nordic & Baltic region. Subject to a successful pilot, OP will consider launching biometric payment cards.
See announcement from TietoEVRY here.
Based on a disruptive single silicon payment platform, Zwipe Pay ONE is a first-of-its-kind solution delivering superior energy efficiency and excellent biometric performance at highly competitive prices.
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obliged to make public pursuant to the Continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market, Nasdaq First North Growth Market and the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 09:20 CET on 23 November 2020.
OSLO, NORWAY – 19 November 2020- The share capital increase of 1,000,000 new shares in Zwipe AS, as resolved by the board of the company on 28 October 2020, has today been registered in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The new share capital is NOK 3,290,657.60, and the new number of shares and votes is 32,906,576.
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0)8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, at 10:00 CET on 19 November 2020.
OSLO, NORWAY – 29 October 2020 –
Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement from Zwipe AS dated 28 October 2020 regarding the final results of the subsequent offering, and the allocations of offer shares that were made to primary insiders.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards and wearables that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For further information please contact: Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO, +47 991 66 135 ir@zwipe.com
