OSLO, NORWAY and CORPS, FRANCE – 21 November 2024 – OSE, one of France’s well known PCB assembly services provider, has chosen Zwipe to deploy Zwipe Access biometric access cards across their operations. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in delivering enhanced security to high-security environments.
OSE, headquartered in Corps, France, is known for its expertise in electronic board prototyping, testing, and lean manufacturing practices that emphasize quality and reliability. With a strong focus on innovative and flexible solutions, OSE has consistently positioned itself as a leader in the industry.
Caroline Guerin, OSE General Manager, commented on the partnership, saying, “Our commitment to protect our customers’ intellectual property aligns perfectly with Zwipe’s advanced biometric technology. The deployment of Zwipe Access cards on our premises allows us to provide a solution that ensures seamless integration and robust security for high-security environments.”
Zwipe Access cards offer a high level of security by conducting all fingerprint capture, extraction, and matching directly on the card. This ensures that sensitive biometric data never leaves the card, thereby providing optimal data privacy and security for users.
According to Robert Puskaric, President and CEO of Zwipe, “Innovation in security is paramount, especially in today’s fast-evolving landscape. With OSE as our partner, we are proud to support the deployment of Zwipe Access cards in France, reinforcing our commitment to delivering an additional layer of security in critical environments.”
About OSE
The company OSE, located in Corps en Isère (France), specializes in electronic boards from prototypes, pre-series and series industrializations to end and finished product. Its corporate culture promotes the development of the know-how of its employees in order to achieve a common objective: customer satisfaction. Our company has more than 130 employees, it is located in a 3000 m² building and controls all manufacturing processes (from the simplest to the most complex
To know more, visit www.ose.fr
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card technology for payment, physical and logical access control as well as identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with a global presence.
To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 19 NOVEMBER 2024 - Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement published by Zwipe AS (the "Company" or "Zwipe") earlier on 7 November 2024, regarding a contemplated rights issue in the Company, raising gross proceeds of approximately NOK 40 million (the "Rights Issue"). In relation thereto, the Board of Directors of Zwipe (the "Board") calls for an Extraordinary General Meeting (the "EGM") to be held on 3 December 2024 at 10:00 (CET). The general meeting will be held as a virtual meeting on Microsoft Teams.
Please find attached the notice to the EGM. The notice is also available on the Company's website, https://zwipe.com/investors.
The deadline for registration of attendance, proxies and advance voting for direct shareholders is 2 December 2024 at 16:00 hours (CET). Holders of nominee registered shares must register attendance, proxies and advance voting no later than within 29 November 2024 at 16:00 hours (CET). Shareholders are encouraged to register their notice of attendance and proxies via the link found here: https://zwipe.com/investors/general-meetings.
Alternatively, the attached notice of attendance and proxy forms may be sent by e-mail to genf@dnb.no, or by regular post to DNB Bank ASA, Registrar's Department, P.O.Box 1600 Sentrum, 0021 Oslo, Norway.
Shareholders who have not registered participation digitally, must also send an e-mail to ir@zwipe.com and will, thereafter, receive a link to the Teams meeting for the General Meeting.
The Board has proposed the following agenda:
1. Opening of the general meeting (non-voting)
2. Registration of attending shareholders and proxies (non-voting)
3. Election of Chair of the meeting and one person to co-sign the minutes.
4. Approval of the notice and the agenda
5. Rights issue
6. Board authorization to issue convertible loan
7. Issue of Warrants
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence. To learn more, visit http://www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 7 NOVEMBER 2024 - The board of directors (the "Board") of Zwipe AS ("Zwipe" or the "Company") has today, on 7 November 2024, resolved to propose that the Company carries out a new issue of units, consisting of shares and warrants, with preferential rights for existing shareholders raising gross proceeds of approximately NOK 39.7 million (the "Rights Issue"). The Rights Issue requires approval by the extraordinary general meeting of the Company expected to be held on 3 December 2024 (the "EGM") to be implemented. The notice of the EGM will be published in a separate press release.
Background and reason for the Rights Issue
Zwipe is a Norwegian biometric authentication technology company established in 2009, focused on developing and commercializing secure, fast, and easy-to-use biometric authentication solutions with broad applications across key verticals such as payments and access control.
Since the beginning of 2024, Zwipe has focused exclusively on Zwipe Access and continues to make considerable progress building their network of sales partners and establishing Zwipe as one of the leading solutions for biometric access control. Several major enterprises are currently evaluating Zwipes access control cards for potential deployment to enhance general security in their facilities and offices.
The Rights Issue is carried out in order to strengthen the Company's financial
position and to accelerate the commercialization of Zwipe’s biometric cards within access control. Zwipe has made substantial progress within the access control market, which the Company anticipates will translate to meaningful commercial traction and revenue in the coming quarters. With the company operating in a very cost-efficient manner, proceeds from the rights issue alongside available cash and possible additional cost saving measures are expected to support the Company throughout 2025 and in its transition to a phase of sustainable, long-term commercial success.
Key terms of the Rights Issue
The Board has today resolved to propose that the EGM resolves on the Rights Issue of 99,303,344 transferable subscription rights (the "Subscription Rights") with preferential rights for existing shareholders, whereby one Subscription Right gives the right to subscribe for four (4) units ("Unit"). Each Unit consists of (i) a new share in the Company, each with a nominal value of NOK 0.10, and (ii) a warrant of series T02 (the "Warrants") for a subscription price of NOK 0.10 per Unit. One Warrant give the right to subscribe for one ordinary share in the Company during the period beginning on 3 March 2025 and ending on 14 March 2025. The subscription price in the Rights Issue is NOK 0.10 per Unit on Euronext Growth Oslo and SEK 0.10 per Unit on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Sweden. The subscription price per share corresponds to the subscription price per Unit. Thus, the Warrants are issued free of charge. Upon full subscription, the Company will initially receive approximately NOK 39.7 million in gross proceeds. If Warrants are exercised, the Company will receive additional proceeds in March 2025.
The shareholders of the Company on 3 December 2024 (and being registered as such in the Norwegian Central Securities Depository, Euronext Securities Oslo, (the "VPS") as at the expiry of 5 December 2024 (the "Record Date") will be granted one (1) Subscription Right for each share registered as held by the shareholder as of the Record Date. One (1) Subscription Right is required to subscribe for four (4) Units. Each Unit consists of one (1) new share and one (1) Warrant.
Subscription of Units with or without preferential rights shall take place during the period beginning on 6 December 2024 and ending on 20 December 2024. Subscription Rights that are not exercised during the subscription period become invalid and lose their value. Trading in Subscription Rights takes place on Nasdaq First North Growth Market and Euronext Growth Oslo during the period beginning on 6 December 2024 and ending on 16 December 2024.
Pursuant to Section 10-4 of the Norwegian Private Limited Companies Act, the shareholders of the Company at the day of the EGM (as registered in the Company's shareholder register in VPS two trading days thereafter (the "EGM Record Date")), and who are not resident in a jurisdiction where such offering would be unlawful or, would (in jurisdictions other than Norway) require any prospectus, filing, registration or similar action, will be granted a preferential right to subscribe for and be allocated the new shares in proportion to the number of shares in the Company they own as of the EGM Record Date (the "Existing Shareholding"), and will receive Subscription Rights proportionate to their Existing Shareholding. The Company expects to apply for admission to trading of the Subscription Rights on Euronext Growth Oslo and Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm.
Units will be allocated in the Rights Issue in accordance with the following criteria:
a) Allocation of Units shall be made according to granted or acquired transferable subscription rights which have been validly exercised during the subscription period.
b) Units not allocated pursuant to a) above, will be allocated to subscribers who have exercised their transferable subscription rights and oversubscribed. These subscribers will be allocated additional Units based on the amount of transferable subscription rights exercised by each subscriber. To the extent that pro rata allocation is not possible, the Company will determine the allocation by drawing lots.
One (1) Warrant entitles, during the period beginning on 3 March 2025 and ending on 14 March 2025, to subscription of one (1) new share in Zwipe at an exercise price of NOK 0.10.
There will from and including 7 November 2024 temporarily be imposed a block for repositioning of trading in the shares in the Company between Euronext Securities Oslo (VPS) and Euroclear Sweden AB until and including the Record Date. Full terms and conditions for the Rights Issue as well as other information about the Company will be described in the EU Growth Prospectus, which is expected to be published on or around 5 December 2024.
Robert Puskaric, CEO of Zwipe comments:
"Zwipe continues to see strong interest in bringing biometric access control cards to market globally. We feel confident that a number of the engagements and opportunities our partners are working with us on will result in commercial and operational deployments in a very short timeframe. The proceeds from the Rights Issue will give us more financial flexibility and enable us to execute on our commercial objectives for Zwipe Access. We are operating in an efficient and agile manner and proceeds from the Rights Issue should support us in achieving significant commercial traction and positioning the company for sustainable, profitable growth."
Change in share capital, number of shares and dilution
Based on the outstanding number of shares as of today, the share capital in the Company increases through the Rights Issue by a maximum of NOK 39,721,337.60, from NOK 9,930,334.40 to NOK 49,651,672.00, through the issuance of a maximum of 397,213,376 shares. The number of shares increases from 99,303,344 to a maximum of 496,516,720 shares. For existing shareholders who do not participate in the Rights Issue, this implies a dilution effect of 80.0 percent in the case of full subscription.
In the event that all outstanding Warrants issued in the Rights Issue are fully exercised for the subscription of new shares in Zwipe, the number of shares will increase by an additional 397,213,376 to a total of 893,730,096 shares and the share capital will increase by NOK 39,721,337.60 to a total of NOK 893,730,009.6.
Extraordinary general meeting
The Rights Issue requires the approval by the EGM expected to be held on [3 December] 2024 to be implemented. The notice of the EGM will be published in a separate press release.
Advisor
Zwipe has engaged Bergs Securities AB and Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS as financial and legal advisors respectively in connection with the Rights Issue.
For further information contact:
Robert Puskaric, CEO of Zwipe
E-mail: ir@zwipe.com
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements in the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU 596/2014) and the Norwegian Securities Trading Act section 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 Oslo
(Euronext Growth Oslo Rule Book - Part II) and on Nasdaq First North Growth
Market. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se.
The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact
person set out below, at the date and time provided.
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer
future. We work with great passion across networks of international
organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We
are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for
payment and physical & logical access control and identification solutions. We
promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions,
ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and
services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit http://www.zwipe.com
Important information
Publication, release or distribution of this press release may in certain jurisdictions be subject to legal restrictions and persons in the jurisdictions where this press release has been made public or distributed should be informed of and follow such legal restrictions. The recipient of this press release is responsible for using this press release and the information herein in accordance with applicable rules in each jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or subscribe for any securities in Zwipe in any jurisdiction, either from Zwipe or from anyone else.
This press release is not a prospectus according to the definition in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation") and has not been approved by any regulatory authority in any jurisdiction. A prospectus will be prepared by the Company and published on the Company's website after the prospectus has been reviewed and approved by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen).
This press release does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities mentioned herein may not be sold in the United States without registration, or without an exemption from registration, under the U.S. Securities Act from 1933 ("Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold within the United States without being registered, covered by an exemption from, or part of a transaction that is not subject to the registration requirements according to the Securities Act. There is no intention to register any securities mentioned herein in the United States or to issue a public offering of such securities in the United States. The information in this press release may not be released, published, copied, reproduced or distributed, directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, in or to Australia, Belarus, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, the United States or any other jurisdiction where the release, publication or distribution of this information would violate current rules or where such an action is subject to legal restrictions or would require additional registration or other measures beyond those that follow from Swedish and Norwegian law. Actions in contravention of this instruction may constitute a violation of applicable securities legislation.
Offers to the public will be permitted in Sweden and Norway from and including the date of approval of the prospectus by the competent authority in Sweden and the competent authority in Norway has been notified in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, through to and including the end of the subscription period in the Rights Issue.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements related to the Company's intentions, estimates or expectations with regard to the Company's future results, financial position, liquidity, development, outlook, estimated growth, strategies and opportunities as well as the markets in which the Company is active. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not refer to historical facts and can be identified by the use of terms such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "will," "may," "implies," "should," "could" and, in each case, their negative, or comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on various assumptions, which in several cases are based on further assumptions. Although the Company believes that the assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, there is no guarantee that they will occur or that they are correct. Since these assumptions are based on assumptions or estimates and involve risks and uncertainties, actual results or outcomes, for many different reasons, may differ materially from those what is stated in the forward-looking statements. Due to such risks, uncertainties, eventualities and other significant factors, actual events may differ materially from the expectations that expressly or implicitly are contained in this press release through the forward-looking statements. The Company does not guarantee that the assumptions which serve as a basis for the forward-looking statements in this press release are correct, and each reader of the press release should not rely on the forward-looking statements in this press release. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements that expressly or implicitly are stated herein are provided only as of the date of this press release and may change. Neither the Company nor any other party will review, update, confirm or publicly announce any revision of any forward-looking statement to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise with respect to the contents of this press release, beyond what is required by law or Euronext Growth Oslo or Nasdaq First North Growth Market's rules for issuers.
OSLO, NORWAY, and WETZIKON, SWITZERLAND – 14th October 2024 – As part of the official launch of LEGIC neon on card Zwipe and LEGIC Identsystems are excited to announce the introduction of biometric cardholder verification on Zwipe Access for LEGIC-based access control systems. This enhancement, now available commercially, integrates Zwipe’s industry-leading biometric technology into the latest version of LEGIC’s neon application.
With LEGIC neon on card, organizations can now deploy smartcard-based access solutions that incorporate fingerprint authentication. This new feature ensures that Zwipe Access releases credentials only after successful on-card fingerprint verification, adding an extra layer of security while maintaining a seamless experience for users.
For end users, the process is simple and secure: by placing a finger on the card’s built-in sensor, the cardholder can easily unlock the credentials needed to gain access via an NFC reader. This eliminates the need for PINs or passwords, streamlining access control without compromising safety.
"We are delighted to bring multi-factor authentication to LEGIC neon-based cards," said Christoph Beckenbauer, General Manager at LEGIC Identsystems. “This product seamlessly extends biometric verification to smartcards, which was previously only available with LEGIC neon for smartphones.”
"LEGIC neon is a uniquely secure and flexible technology." Robert Puskaric, President and CEO of Zwipe, added, "We are proud that LEGIC has chosen to partner with us, leveraging our Zwipe Access platform to enhance the security of their application."
For over 30 years, Swiss-based LEGIC Identsystems has enabled companies from around the world to deploy solutions with demanding security requirements. Based on key management, trusted services and secure, contactless semiconductors, the LEGIC Security Platform provides end-to-end security for smartphone- and smartcard-based access, mobility, shared resource and industrial IoT applications.
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card technology for payment, physical and logical access control as well as identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with a global presence.
For more information, visit: www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 07-Oct-2024 – One of the prominent global leaders in the pharmaceutical industry is currently testing Zwipe Access biometric cards, in collaboration with a trusted partner, with a view to potentially deploy these innovative cards in its operations.
Zwipe AS, a pioneer in biometric technology, offers Zwipe Access cards equipped with an advanced fingerprint sensor. This technology captures the cardholder’s fingerprint securely, delivering the highest level of security and privacy available in biometric systems. By ensuring that the biometric data never leaves the card, Zwipe Access provides an unparalleled safeguard against data breaches.
The global pharmaceutical company involved in this testing is dedicated to reimagining medicine, improving, and extending lives. With the deployment of Zwipe Access cards, the company aims to enhance security across its processes and operations.
Robert Puskaric, President and CEO of Zwipe, shared his thoughts on the potential deployment and said, “Securing individual identities is critical in today’s landscape of cyber and security threats. Biometric authentication offers a highly secure, reliable method for identity verification. Since biometric characteristics are unique to each person, Zwipe Access Cards prevents the risk of unauthorized access, all while providing a seamless and intuitive user experience."
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work passionately across networks of international organizations, industries, and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We pioneer next-generation biometric card technology for payment, physical and logical access control, as well as identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, please visit http://www.zwipe.com/
OSLO, NORWAY – 30-Sept – 2024 – Zwipe, a global pioneer and leader in biometric technology for access control, identification, and payment solutions, announces that one of the world’s top digital music streaming service providers is currently testing Zwipe’s biometric access cards. This evaluation is part of a potential deployment of Zwipe’s technology across the company.
Zwipe is listed on the stock exchanges of Oslo and Stockholm and specializes in secure, biometric authentication technology for access control, identification, and payment solutions.
The global music streaming company aims at increasing security on its premises by evaluating and potentially adopting Zwipe Access cards. These biometric cards offer enhanced protection by ensuring that sensitive credentials are kept secure and can only be activated by the legitimate cardholder.
Zwipe Access is a card-based fingerprint dual-authentication solution designed for access control, fast and easy to deploy. With fingerprint capture, extraction, and comparison taking place entirely on the card itself, the biometric data never leaves the card. This provides heightened data privacy and security for users, significantly reducing the risk of security breaches, whether in the physical or digital world.
Robert Puskaric, President and CEO of Zwipe, commented on the potential partnership, stating: “Security and privacy concerns are growing everywhere. Adopting secure and reliable access control systems is essential in protecting people and facilities. Zwipe’s biometric technology offers a secure, fast, and intuitive authentication experience for access control. We are delighted to have such a global leader as potential customer.”
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries, and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card technology for payment, physical and logical access control, and identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 25-September – 2024 – A leading U.S.-based social media and IT company is currently testing Zwipe Access biometric cards via their strategic technology partner, mandated to assess and implement technology globally, considering the possible deployment of this cutting-edge solution across its facilities.
Zwipe AS, a widely recognized pioneer in biometric technology, has supplied these cards as part of a collaborative effort to enhance customer’s sites security.
Zwipe is listed on the stock exchanges of Oslo and Stockholm and specializes in secure, biometric authentication technology for access control, identification, and payment solutions.
The global technology giant aims at further strengthening its security protocols by evaluating and potentially adopting Zwipe Access cards. These biometric cards offer enhanced protection by ensuring that sensitive credentials are kept secure and can only be activated by the legitimate cardholder.
Zwipe Access is a card-based fingerprint dual-authentication solution designed for access control. With fingerprint capture, extraction, and comparison taking place entirely on the card itself, the biometric data never leaves the card. This provides heightened data privacy and security for users, significantly reducing the risk of security breaches, whether in the physical or digital world.
Speaking on this potential deployment, Robert Puskaric, President and CEO of Zwipe, said, “In today’s digital age, secured identity and authentication are more important than ever. We are immensely proud for a potential partnership with such a prominent global leader in the tech industry. The Zwipe Access biometric card offers an excellent solution for enhancing security through two-factor authentication, all without requiring lengthy and costly hardware upgrades, thus providing both increased protection and significant savings in capital expenditure.”
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work passionately across networks of international organizations, industries, and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. We pioneer next-generation biometric card technology for payment, physical and logical access control, as well as identification solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence.
To learn more, please visit http://www.zwipe.com/
Significant events H1 2024
Focusing on identity and access management, Seriline, a Sweden-based company, has signed a distribution agreement with Zwipe that pioneers next generation biometric cards for physical & logical access control and identification solutions.
Plasticard - ZFT, one of the leading manufacturers for plastic cards, smart cards and ID media has partnered with Zwipe to distribute biometric access cards for Zwipe in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Ermes srl, one of the leaders in providing solutions for the identification and security of people, has signed a distribution agreement with Zwipe, a pioneer and world leader in the development of biometric technology on cards for identification and access control.
Zwipe announced the appointment of PCB & Security Europe S.L., headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, as its official distributor for Spain and Portugal. This strategic partnership expands Zwipe’s reach across Europe and positions the company to capitalize on the growing demand for secure and convenient biometric access solutions in the Iberian Peninsula.
Zwipe has teamed up with SCAP, the leading distributor of access control cards and readers in France, focusing on providing advanced security RFID solutions, to introduce the innovative “biometric system-on-card” to SCAP’s customers.
Tadera and Zwipe announce that the Zwipe Access Biometric Smart Card System has completed operational test and evaluation by National Safe Skies Alliance, Inc. (Safe Skies) at Richmond International Airport (RIC). The report concludes that the Zwipe access card is a highly secure and user-friendly solution that meets the needs of the airport.
In January, Zwipe announced a company restructuring and new strategic direction, increasing its focus on Zwipe Access and accelerating the commercialization of its biometric authentication technology in the access control market. As a result of the change in strategic focus, the company has initiated a restructuring process that is expected to reduce operational costs, particularly related to Zwipe Pay.
Significant events after the period
ZKTeco, a globally recognized leader in access control solutions, is proud to announce a partnership with Zwipe, a leader in biometric technology for cards used in identification, access control, and payment. Together, they aim to deliver cutting-edge, high-security access solutions in Europe.
Zwipe the market leader in Biometric Smart Card technology for biometric access card technology, has entered into a strategic partnership with ABC Security Access Systems, a prominent integrator specializing in physical security solutions. This collaboration aims to introduce Zwipe’s state-of-theart biometric smart card technology solutions to customers across the Canadian marketplace, focusing on key sectors such as retail, government, commercial and institutional.
Zwipe, the global leader in biometric payment and access cards, and AXYS, a specialist in integrating access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, and other security technology solutions announce a strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to deliver the groundbreaking “biometric smartcard” technology solution to AXYS’s global customer base.
Message from the CEO
During the first half of the year, we have, alongside the execution of the restructuring program, focused on implementing the new strategy focusing on the access control market. We intensified our efforts to establish and develop strategic partnerships in our targeted regions that enhance our reach and credibility within the industry with good traction and response. Collaborations and the establishment of go-to-market partnerships with key players in the security and technology sectors are increasing both our market presence and growth potential and we have expanded our network of distributors and resellers, as well as system integrators and installation companies in all geographies.
In France, during the first quarter, we signed a distribution agreement with SCAP, a major distributor giving us access to many local system integrators and installers, and a large pool of potential French end user enterprises.
During the second quarter we have started to see our intense work paying off as we have been able to sign additional collaborations with, among others, Seriline, Plasticard and Ermes. Lately we also communicated agreements with AXYS, ABC Security Access Systems, ZKTeco Europe. Many of these partners operate and have strong foothold in multiple countries and regions giving us an even wider reach.
Today we have more than 60 distributors and system integration partners throughout North America and European counties we have selected to focus on. It also means we have continued to increase the number of distributed starter packs/ demo kits during the second quarter of the year, so our partners can approach an increased number of end user enterprises.
As we have stated before, we are primarily targeting three verticals. For the Airport, Power Plants and Data Centers we have developed specific value propositions that we are getting good response and traction on. The fourth area we are approaching is more generic in terms of government agencies, major tech companies and multinational enterprises in various sectors and verticals.
Three of our partners in North America are specialized in providing security solutions to data centers. This has so far resulted in that we are engaged in a tender process with a leading internet search company and that we have commenced testing for a top social network and software company. Biometric access cards and our solution have also been adopted by architects and solution providers in future tenders when building new data centers.
On the power plant vertical we have passed product tests and are under evaluation by a major nuclear plant in North America. We also under evaluation by a major energy company in the USA.
Unfortunately, the airport vertical has not yet shown the development we had expected given the positive outcome of the report by National Safe Skies Alliance, Inc. We have two major partners in this vertical that are currently in dialogue with more than 10 airports in the USA. It is our assessment that more time is needed as decision processes in these potential deals take longer time than expected.
In total we together with our partners now have around 55 ongoing unique end user enterprise engagements. Not to say that every enterprise will ever implement biometric access cards for all their employees, but our current 55 engagements have an average of +40.000 employees per engagement, so the potential is huge.
We are obviously disappointed that we and our partners have not been able to enter into material commercial deployments and generate revenue during the first half of this year. At the same time, we are very pleased with the development in building our partner network in the first half year and the response we are getting from our engagements. That said, we are convinced that the work we have been doing will pay off in the near future.
Financial review
Profit and loss Zwipe reported total revenues of NOK 0.6 million during the first half of 2024, lower than the NOK 1.7 million reported in the first half of 2023. Net sales equalled NOK 0.1 million during the first half of 2024, and consisted to 100 percent of Zwipe access, compared to NOK 0.05 million during the first half of 2023.
Total operating expenses totaled NOK 29.4 million in the first half of 2024, down NOK 28.1 million compared to the first half of 2023. Personnel expenses were down to NOK 13.6 million compared to NOK 28.3 million in the first half of 2023, as headcount has decreased in line with the restructuring plans presented in June 2023 as well as in January 2024. Other operating expenses of NOK 14.6 million in the first half of 2024 were also significantly lower when compared to NOK 26.9 million in the first half of 2023, driven mainly by lower development, certification, marketing and travel costs. Depreciation, amortization and impairment amounted to NOK 0.7 million in the first half of 2024 versus NOK 1.0 million during the first half of 2023.
The above resulted in net income for the first half of 2024 of NOK -30.0 million, substantially better than NOK -56.1 million reported in the first half of 2023.
Cash flow During the first half of 2024, cash flow from operations and investments, before financing and facilitation, was NOK -40.9 million from NOK -59.3 million in the first half of 2023, an improvement with NOK 18.4 million.
Cashflow from financing activities equalled NOK 24.1 million and represents the remaining cash outstanding from the fundraising in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Total net cash flow for the first half of 2024, including cash flow from financing and investing activities, was NOK -17.0 million compared to NOK 25.4 million in the first half of 2023, as Zwipe completed a rights issue raising NOK 100.1 million in gross proceeds in the first half of 2023. Investments, liquidity, and financial position On 30 June 2024, cash and cash equivalents were NOK 25.2 million, compared to NOK 76.0 million on 30 June 2023.
As of 30 June 2024, production equipment, machinery, and fixtures were valued at NOK 3.7 million, and made up all long-term assets. Including cash of NOK 25.2 million, inventories of NOK 23.5 million, and receivables of NOK 1.2 million, current assets stood at NOK 49.9 million giving total assets of NOK 53.7 million.
Total equity as of 30 June 2024 amounted to NOK 30.7 million. Liabilities totaled NOK 22.9 million, comprising solely short-term liabilities. Consequently, the equity ratio stood at 57%.
This disclosure contains information that Zwipe AS is obliged to make public pursuant to the Swedish Securities Markets Act (2007:528). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 22-08-2024 08:00 CET.
Zwipe AS will publish its H1 2024 financial report on 22 August 2024 at 08.00 CET. On the same day at 14.00 CET, the company will host a webcast to present the report. After the presentation, the webcast will be opened up for questions from the audience.
Participants will be required to register to listen to the webcast and participate in the Q&A.
Webcast details:
Date: 22 August, 14.00 CET
Format: webcast and Q&A
Language: English
Link:
https://app.webinar.net/DgvB0X80NM3
For more information contact:
OSLO, NORWAY– 6 JULY 2020 – It has been a busy and momentous last few months in the world of biometric payments. I am pleased to see how our partners and customers are strengthening their capacity to deliver next generation contactless payment solutions powered by biometric payments platforms from Zwipe. We observe first-hand an increasing awareness and interest from banks, local card schemes and even retailers that are sharing the view that biometric payments provide significant value to consumers.
What is happening in the marketplace?
Several “1st generation” biometric payment card platforms are now making their way towards the first small-scale commercial launches in 2020. These recent developments clearly signal that this technology will see commercial break-through, representing not only a means for banks to offer “peace of mind” to cardholders and achieve top-of-wallet effects, but also to realize a new source of revenue and value creation.
For fully understandable reasons, the payments ecosystem is by and large conservative, cost conscious and risk averse. This is why the biometric payments market has been long in the making.
Things are now changing, however. At an accelerating pace. Observing how the engagement and proactivity of our partners and the ecosystem are currently growing, I see clear indications that momentum is building, with awareness and interest increasing everywhere.
The team at Zwipe and myself are very excited by this progress.
Here is an overview of our recent major announcements:
It is all coming together
On the supply side, technology advancement, radical cost reduction and scalable production readiness are factors that make biometric payment a feasible proposition. On the demand side, COVID-19 has triggered growing demand and awareness for safe and hygienic payments in the entire society, with transaction limits raised in more than 40 countries worldwide to avoid unnecessary PIN entry and contactless payment rapidly growing everywhere. This builds on the already strong consumer interest for biometric payments before COVID-19, driven by the demand for convenience, security and the “coolness factor” derived from innovative solutions.
Our Zwipe Pay ONE platform is progressing as planned to deliver superior energy efficiency and excellent biometric performance at significantly lowered manufacturing cost thanks to advanced, single-chip innovation. Our confidence that this will be a very compelling proposition has grown further based on the series of recent awards given by smart card manufacturers for Zwipe Pay ONE to power their upcoming biometric payment cards.
Zwipe has pioneered biometric payment card technology and we now see commercial opportunities and engagements developing across the payment ecosystems. We see growing interest from smart card manufacturers, banks, payment schemes and retailers to see how Zwipe can help them to address consumer needs and concerns over contactless payments.
What Zwipe does goes far beyond the technology, it is about helping every stakeholder maximize the value that biometric payments can bring to society. As communicated in our PR on 2 June, we are complementing our collaboration with our direct customers, the smart card manufacturers, by actively stepping up our engagements with banks and neo-banks, as well as new players in card issuance, such as retailers and tech companies. I feel confident that this will accelerate our route to success while creating value for our customers, shareholders, and consumers.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank each member of my great team at Zwipe for their relentless efforts in Making Convenience Safe and Secure. On behalf of everyone at Zwipe, I wish all our customers, partners, shareholders and avid followers a safe and happy summer.
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BOLOGNA, ITALY and OSLO, NORWAY– 1 July 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and Publicenter, Italy’s largest domestic smart card manufacturer, are pleased to announce the launch of a collaboration aimed at bringing the next generation contactless experience, powered by biometric payment cards and wearables to financial institutions and consumers across Europe.
Publicenter is a VISA and Mastercard certified smart card manufacturer, with over forty years of experience in card production and personalization. It delivers payment, loyalty and gift cards to major banking and retail customers in Italy and Europe.
“We have seen firsthand the potential of biometric payment cards and successful market trials in Italy, run on the Zwipe platform. With many of our customers asking for this product, we are confident that the partnership with Zwipe will be the most cost effective and time efficient route for us to offer this solution at scale” says CEO of Publicenter, Sandro Mucelli.
In Italy, 50% of all POS transactions processed were already contactless* pre-COVID 2019, and, as a result of increased transaction limits and an elevated focus on safety, this has grown since. With businesses beginning to open again, Publicenter plans to engage with customers to promote the value-add of biometric payment solutions.
“We are excited to work with Publicenter who have strong engagements with banks and retailers across Europe, including in our own home region of the Nordics. Working together, we will identify new commercial opportunities for both companies and implement a successful roll-out of Zwipe Pay ONE,” says André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
*) Source: Europe; Spaargids.be; July 2018; Numbers concern payments processed by MasterCard
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About Publicenter
Publicenter has over forty years’ experience in high quality and cost-effective smart card production and personalization, being one of the leading card manufacturers in Europe. Main products are financial smart cards, loyalty/gift cards, and ID cards. Headquartered in Bologna, Italy, Publicenter is a Visa and Mastercard certified vendor for over 15 years. To learn more, visit www.publicenter.it
For more information contact: Sandro Mucelli, CEO, info@publicenter.it
OSLO, NORWAY – 29 June 2020 – Biometric fintech pioneer Zwipe and Thomas Greg and Sons do Brasil (TGS), one the largest smart card manufacturers in Latin America, are pleased to announce the extension of their exclusive partnership.
As part of uplifting the collaboration, TGS is commencing small scale manufacturing of biometric payment cards based on Zwipe’s platform, embracing the road to Zwipe Pay ONE and aiming to gradually ramp up production to address the ongoing market demand for safer and more secure contactless payments.
Since announcing the partnership in April 2019, the two companies have been working closely to fine-tune the technical aspects of the solution and evaluate the market appetite for biometric payments.
“We are now seeing increasing interest in biometric payment cards in our region, especially as consumers become much more familiar with contactless payments and demand safer and more hygienic payment alternatives in store. We have worked closely to adapt our manufacturing processes to integrate Zwipe’s biometric solution in our card production and we are excited to take this partnership to the next level,” says Mr. Hernani Finazzi, CEO of TGS.
“Latin America is a fast-emerging region when it comes to payment card usage. We are extremely glad TGS is taking a key step to embrace the Zwipe platform and bring our collaboration to a new level. We look forward to jointly addressing the needs of banks and consumers in Latin America going forward,” says André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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About Thomas Greg & Sons do Brasil
The group Thomas Greg & Sons established in Brazil in 2000 to serve the Brazilian security printing market. In its 20 years of operation, the company has consolidated as one of the largest companies in the segments of Security Prints, Solutions, Smart Cards, Identification Systems and Traceability. Currently, the group is present in thirteen countries, with more than 10,000 employees. In Brazil, it has a branch in eleven states providing the national driver's license, identity card with automated biometric identification system, vehicle ownership document, traceability stamps, diplomas, electoral system, smart cards, among others.
To learn more, visit www.thomasgreg.com.br
Media Contact for Thomas Greg & Sons do Brasil: Hernani Finazzi, CEO +55 11 2666 8821, vendas@thomasgreg.com.br
OSLO, NORWAY– 18 JUNE 2020 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and Watchdata Technologies, a pioneer in digital authentication and transaction security, have partnered to develop and launch next generation contactless payment cards and wearables and bring these innovations to banks in multiple regions.
Watchdata Technologies is a Beijing based Chinese company, with Singapore as its international headquarters. It is serving 80 million banking customers in over 70 countries, the company has extensive operations in China, France, Russia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Mexico. Watchdata offers a wide range of payment products and services and is a VISA, Mastercard, China UnionPay certified manufacturer.
“Partnering with Zwipe to develop the next generation contactless experience aligns strongly with our mission of continuous innovation. Biometric capabilities uniquely combine convenience with security and safety, uplifting card payments’ experience to completely new levels. Integrating Zwipe Pay ONE into our smart card program will be key to competing and securing future business in this fast-emerging segment.” says Nicole Guo, Product Manager of Watchdata.
Zwipe will deliver key components and technical guidance as part of the agreement starting with biometric card payments.
Speaking on the partnership André Løvestam, CEO at Zwipe says “In China faster checkout in retail is cited as the number 1 priority for consumers. We are proud to partner with Watchdata, a fast-moving, innovative and global organization representing significant volume potential in many countries globally for the Zwipe Pay ONE platform. Together, we will develop and roll-out the next generation contactless experience through cards and wearables, addressing the security, safety and privacy needs of consumers worldwide.”
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About Watchdata Technologies
Watchdata Technologies is a recognized pioneer in digital authentication and transaction security. Founded in Beijing in 1994, Watchdata now have international headquarters in Singapore, 8 regional offices, and serve customers in over 70 countries. Watchdata customers include mobile network operators, financial institutions, transport operators, governments and leading business enterprises. Solutions from Watchdata provide daily convenience and security to over 1 billion mobile subscribers, 80 million e-banking customers and 50 million commuters. To learn more, visit www.watchdata.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 8 June 2020 – Zwipe is pleased to announce a new milestone in its ongoing collaboration with Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited (TFCT), a leading smart card manufacturer based in Hong Kong.
TFCT has placed an order that brings the recently announced partnership to begin small scale manufacturing of biometric payment cards. This is a key milestone as part of the setup project and necessary developments in preparing for high-volume market roll-out of Zwipe Pay ONE.
“We have allocated time and space in our manufacturing facilities for producing biometric payment cards powered by Zwipe’s technology. We are excited to move ahead with Zwipe in this important project to develop the biometric payments market” says Mr. Joseph Hui, Deputy Managing Director of Toppan Forms Card Technologies Limited.
“The APAC payments market has one of the highest growth rates in the world. We are pleased that TFCT, a payment solutions leader in this region, has decided to step up cooperation to integrate our platform in their payment cards. We look forward to working closely with TFCT to deliver safer and more secure contactless payments with the disruptive Zwipe Pay ONE platform” says André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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OSLO, NORWAY– 02 June 2020 – Zwipe AS announces that Bishwajit Choudhary has accepted the position of Executive Vice President Strategy & Channels at Zwipe, commencing 2 June 2020. He will lead Zwipe’s engagement efforts towards banks, global and domestic card schemes, selected retailers and other important payments ecosystem stakeholders.
Based in Oslo, Mr. Choudhary brings two decades of experience from Nets where he led many new business initiatives within Digital-ID, electronic signatures and mobile authentication for international clients. As the Group SVP (Strategy) he led Nets' market intelligence and strategy execution and played a key role in many commercial initiatives, notably open-banking data analytics, customer advisory, strategic alliances and fintech partnerships. Prior to joining Zwipe, he was Chief Commercial Officer at UserTribe, a global leader in delivering deep customer insights in 100+ countries based on live experience data.
“With increasing activity in payment cards and wearables in general, and biometrics in particular, and with Zwipe poised to take a technology and cost leadership position in this high potential market, timing is right for Zwipe to complement our growing engagements with our direct customers, the smart card manufacturers, by embarking on a “pull strategy”. This means that we will step up our engagements with banks and neo-banks, as well as new players in card issuance, such as retailers and tech companies. With deep insights in the payments industry, Bishwajit will add a valuable breadth in our payments expertise and lead our strategy and channel development,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
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OSLO, NORWAY– 19 May 2020 –
Financial Calendar 2020 – 2021
Interim Report January-June 2020 August 27, 2020
Financial Year 2020 Annual Report February 25, 2021
Annual General Meeting May 19, 2021
Interim Report January-June 2021 August 26, 2021
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OSLO, NORWAY– 14 May 2020 – 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 11,2% of the votes in the company.
The following matters were reviewed and confirmed:
Approval of the annual report and financial statements for 2019:
The board’s proposal for the annual report and the financial statements for 2019 for the Company and the group were unanimously approved.
Election of members to the Board of Directors:
The following persons were unanimously elected to comprise the new Board of the Directors:
Remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors and the members of the Nomination Committee
Remuneration to the Board for the period from the AGM in 2020 until the AGM in 2021 were unanimously approved as follows:
Chairman of the Board: NOK 260.000,-
Members of the Board: NOK 130.000,-
As remuneration, it was unanimously approved that members of the Nomination committee each receive a total of NOK 40.000 for each year in the term they have served (two years). Jörgen Lantto is covered by the board member remuneration and will hence not receive remuneration for his seat on the nomination committee.
Board authorizations and instructions to the Board regarding use of the authorization to issue shares to increase 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.
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 216 946.70 (2,169,647new shares), equivalent to 8.5% 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 2021, however not beyond 30 June 2021. The pre-emptive right of the shareholders to subscribe may be set aside.
ii. Authorization for capital increase to strengthen the Company's equity (extract, please see the attachment to the notice for the complete proposal)
The Annual General Meeting resolved that the General Meeting granted a new authorization to the Board to issue shares corresponding to up to 25% 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 may be used to issue 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 2021, however not beyond 30 June 2021. 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 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, on May 14, 2020 at 23:15 CET
OSLO, NORWAY – 7 MAY 2020 –
Q1 2020 Highlights
Developments after the period
CEO Comment
André Løvestam, Chief Executive Officer at Zwipe, said:
“Q1 2020 has been an intense quarter for Zwipe.
We started the year by listing on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market on January 28th, and have seen considerable interest in Zwipe across the Swedish investment community.
This quarter has also been marked by unprecedented global uncertainty tied to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With the aim to protect our employees from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Zwipe quickly adapted with various protective measures such as remote work and travel bans. We have been able to continue operating remotely, with little to no impact being seen across our operations. Our commercial team has ramped up activity and been able to engage more frequently and openly as a result of the entire industry transitioning to videoconferencing as opposed to travel-intensive face-to-face meetings.
We observe an extensive focus on and interest in the improved hygiene and safety of biometric payment solutions; the awareness of biometric advantages is significantly higher than pre-Corona. This elevated focus on safety has significantly increased the growth of contactless transactions, and transaction caps have been raised all over the world1. Hygiene may become an accelerator and game-changer for biometric payments. A biometric payment card effectively eliminates the need to ever touch the payment terminal keypad – regular cards require PIN above the transaction limit, after a set number of transactions, and when the cumulative value of transactions has reached its limit.
We are seeing growing momentum across the payment ecosystem with increasing investment in supporting biometric payment card deployment. Zwipe is now working closely with partners across the value chain in developing a highly competitive offering in terms of energy efficiency and biometric performance at industry-leading manufacturing costs; Zwipe Pay ONE. This next generation contactless technology will achieve a radically lower total manufacturing cost per card, which we believe will be key to accelerate the volume market take-off. Therefore, we are proud and satisfied that the Zwipe Pay ONE project and the collaboration with Idemia and Idex is on track, as announced in April. The first samples of the new single chip have been manufactured and successfully powered-on. This development is very positive as our customers wish to get access to Zwipe Pay ONE as early as possible to be able to serve card issuers with the market’s most cost-effective biometric payment cards.
Recent certification industry announcements bring further confidence to the trajectory of biometric payment card rollout. Certification of payment products is a rigorous and capital-intensive process for card manufacturers and a strong signal of intent to capitalize on the next natural step for payment cards, following the introduction of dual-interface payment cards in 2007.
I am also satisfied with the very good progress in the wearable project announced with G+D in September, as this project is also on track.
Looking ahead, we are committed to supporting our customers to elevate their product portfolios by making it easy to integrate biometric payment solutions. Key to this work is technical deliverables and sharing the expertise we have built from having the most widely piloted solution to position, educate and market biometric payment cards to banks and issuers. We are doing everything in our power to build and maintain strong relationships with our industry-leading partners that will create sustainable long-term commercial opportunities for themselves and Zwipe going forward.”
Financial Update
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This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the continuing obligations of companies admitted to trading on Oslo Børs Merkur Market, Nasdaq First North Growth Market and the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on May 7, 2020 at 08:30 CEST
