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 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– 25 JUNE 2019 – Biometric technology company Zwipe has entered into a partnership with XH Smart, a global smart card manufacturer, focused on commercializing end to end biometric payment offerings to XH Smart customers in China and beyond.
XH Smart is a global solutions provider offering end-to-end digital security solutions to banks and telecom operators in more than 70 countries across the world. A fully accredited Visa, Mastercard and China UnionPay card manufacturer, the company has grown rapidly since its founding in 2011, becoming a global player in the payment card marketplace, marked by several large industry acquisitions both inside and outside of China. In 2018 the company manufactured in excess of 44 million payment cards.
Speaking on the agreement with Zwipe, Mr Eehou Lim, XH Smart Group SVP, said “We are convinced that biometric payment cards is becoming one of the new standards in payments going forward and that is why we have partnered with Zwipe, the only company that can assist us in offering an end to end solution to our customers. We are confident that we have the right pieces in place to seize this exciting opportunity.”
Zwipe’s end to end offering buoyed by its strong intellectual property portfolio provides card manufacturers physical components and manufacturing support. Additionally, the comprehensive package covers advisory services that will enable card manufacturers to provide a more complete offering to banks and issuers, by directly supporting product integration, customer enrolment and onboarding on multiple platforms.
Commenting on this partnership, André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said “We are excited to partner with XH Smart and to contribute to their capacity to deliver not just an innovative new product but a complete experience to their discerning customers, driven by our shared commitment to making convenience secure.”
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