OSLO, NORWAY and KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – 16 February 2021 – Modularsoft, Malaysia’s leading full service smart card company, has entered into a partnership with fintech Zwipe to enable banks in Malaysia to deploy the next generation of biometric enabled contactless payment cards.
Modularsoft (also known as Modular) has been a leader in the smart card industry in Malaysia since 2007. As a fully certified provider of smart cards to the majority of Malaysian banks, Modular continues to drive innovation and bring new levels of service to the industry. Its customers include banks, fintech companies, educational institutions, insurance, healthcare and telecommunication companies across Malaysia. With the Zwipe Pay platform, Modular will further strengthen its product portfolio with this new innovative biometric card technology that is both user-friendly and highly secure.
Speaking on the collaboration, Haleelur Rahman AG, General Manager Modularsoft, said, “We are excited about the opportunities that biometric payment cards bring to us and our issuer clients. The biometric card platform provided by Zwipe combines a number of break-through technologies and drives us forward into the next generation of payment cards. We believe that highly secure and touch-less payment cards will create a very compelling proposition for banks and consumers. Our collaboration with Zwipe will provide differentiation and visible commercial value to our customers.”.
As part of the collaboration, Zwipe will provide Modular with technical and commercial support to drive the implementation of Zwipe Pay biometric cards, including a range of value added services for issuers. The cards will be manufactured by one of Zwipe’s certified smart card manufacturers in the region. The partners will engage with issuers and enterprises across Malaysia with the objective of deploying pilots and full commercial rollouts.
Commenting on this partnership, André Løvestam, Chief Executive Office at Zwipe, said: “We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Modular, Malaysia’s leading card bureau and a highly trusted brand in delivering payment cards and personalization solutions to issuers in Malaysia. I am confident that this partnership will lead to multiple commercial launches of Biometric Payment Cards and I look forward to a very successful long term relationship between our companies.”
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About Modular
Modular is the leading player in the region within the smartcard industry, specifically in the banking and finance domain. The group gained recognition and credibility by successfully implementing the government initiative of enabling all banks to migrate from magnetic strips to chip based ATM cards; to date the group has delivered in excess of 75 million bankcards. Modular has a dedicated team of IT professionals with domain expertise in Banking and Finance, Insurance, Telecommunications and Healthcare. Modularsoft Sdn Bhd was established to provide both IT and consulting services to its current array of banking customers.
For more information, please contact us at enquiry@modular-corp.com or visit modularsoft.com.my or call +603-2711 1280.
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 zwipe.com
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 934 36 952, info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY – 31 January 2021 – Zwipe AS, a biometric fintech pioneering the development of next generation biometric solutions in payments and access control, has appointed Danielle Glenn as its new CFO and Head of IR effective from 1 May 2022.
Ms. Glenn (44) will join Zwipe from her current position as CFO of Arctic Bioscience AS, a Norwegian biotech company. While at Arctic Bioscience, Ms. Glenn managed the company’s capital markets activities including its MNOK 300 IPO on Euronext Growth Market in Oslo in February 2021. In addition to her responsibilities as CFO, she was also responsible for Investor Relations and heavily involved in setting the company’s overall strategic, commercial, operating and investment plans. At Zwipe, she will help lead the company through its next phase of international commercialization as the company approaches mass volume rollout of biometric cards withing payments and access control.
“Zwipe is continually expanding the commercial and strategic opportunities for its unique biometric technology. Danielle’s background as a CFO operating at the intersection of finance, commercial operations, technology and investor relations in fast-growing companies as well as her deep experience from international capital markets will provide us with the financial skill set we need to increase long-term stakeholder value in the coming years,” says André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
Prior to joining Arctic Bioscience, Ms. Glenn worked in several management roles with start-up and scale-up companies in Norway upon moving to Oslo in 2016. She spent the majority of her career in London and New York, working at Goldman Sachs, Caxton Associates and Bywater Capital as a global macro hedge fund manager and Chief Investment Officer. Ms. Glenn graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a BA in History and Science.
“I am impressed by the innovation Zwipe is demonstrating in the fintech space, honoured by the confidence management and the Board has placed in me, and excited to help build upon Zwipe’s strong commercial and technological momentum. I very much look forward to joining a Norwegian company with global ambitions and an impressive international team,” says Ms. Glenn.
Ms. Glenn will take over from Lars Kristian Solheim who has decided to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Solheim has been the CFO since March 2020 and continues as CFO of the company through April 2022.
“On behalf of the whole management team and Board, I would like to thank Lars Kristian for his hard work and unquestionable dedication. He has acted as CFO during an important and transformative stage in our growth story, providing valuable contributions and wise counsel. I wish him the very best in all his future endeavours,” says Mr. Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.
For further information, please contact:
André Løvestam
CEO of Zwipe AS
Phone: +47 934 36 952
Email: andre@zwipe.com
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation on Euronext Growth Oslo and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 13:30 CET on 31 January 2022.
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. The company works across networks of international organizations, industries and cultures to make convenience safe and secure. Zwipe is pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for payments, physical & logical access control, and identification solutions. The company promises 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.
OSLO, NORWAY – 20 January 2022 – Primary insider André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe AS (the "Company"), has today exercised 384,000 stock options, each giving the right to acquire one share in the Company at a strike price of NOK 10.00. The stock options have been allocated to André Løvestam under the Company's stock option incentive program. After completion of the transaction, André Løvestam will, through Energetic AS and privately, own 1,300,000 shares and hold 306,000 options, each giving the right to acquire one share in the Company.
Attached is a copy of the form submitted to the Norwegian FSA, Finanstilsynet, reporting the transaction as listed above:
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About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free. To learn more, visit www.zwipe.com
For more information, please contact:
Lars Kristian Solheim, CFO
+47 991 661 35
lars.kristian@zwipe.com
This is information that Zwipe AS is obligated to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation on Euronext Growth Oslo and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm. Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 12:45 CET on 20 January 2022.
OSLO, NORWAY and PARIS, FRANCE – 19 January 2022 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and K2 sas, an affiliate of Cards Systems Group (CSG) and a leading provider of payment card personalization solutions in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) have partnered to address the growing demand for biometric payment solutions in the region. Together with CSG, the parties will bring the next generation payment cards to the MEA region and France.
CSG is an international service and integrated solution provider for card management systems. Founded in 2008, it operates in over 20 countries to offer turnkey card payment and issuance solutions. The group works with major banks, personalization bureaus and card manufacturers to ensure their delivery readiness and provide the latest technology and security standards set by Mastercard, Visa and regulators. Currently CSG’s solutions are utilized by 100 customers and over 10 million payment cards annually.
Speaking on the partnership, Bassam Al Khatib, Chief Executive Officer of K2, said: “Our collaboration with Zwipe will be a catalyst in accelerating the deployment of biometric payment cards across the MEA region and France, markets well-known to us. It is time for banks to embrace next generation contactless cards using the cutting-edge biometric technology that Zwipe brings to the payment marketplace and end users. We will leverage our large network of existing bank clients to conduct multiple pilots, starting already in H1 2022, followed by commercial launches”.
Zwipe will provide K2 and CSG with technical support and services for the implementation of Zwipe Pay biometric cards including value added services for issuers. These cards will be manufactured and delivered by Zwipe’s certified smart card manufacturers in the region.
“K2 and CSG are very important additions in our fast-growing delivery ecosystem and will be a key enabler for our accelerated growth in the MEA region and France. The Group is also a highly respected brand in delivering card personalization solutions and trusted by leading banks in the entire region. I am confident that this partnership will lead to multiple commercial launches of Biometric Payment Cards,” said Ramzi Saboury, General Manager at Zwipe for MENA region.
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About K2 / Cards Systems Group
A team of EMV specialists that joined forces in 2009 to establish an aggressive and farsighted organization. K2, an affiliate of the group, was created in 2017 to find solutions ahead of time through anticipating problems that businesses might encounter in today’s dynamic market. The group serves hundreds of satisfied clients from eleven different countries spreading over four continents. CSG aspire to be the partner of choice for the card business in the Middle East and Africa region.
To learn more, visit www.k2ss.fr, cardsysa2z.com
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 zwipe.com
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 6135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – 31st December 2021 – Biometric fintech company Zwipe and Forzacard, the leading domestic card manufacturer in Mexico, have agreed to develop and launch biometric cards powered by Zwipe and bring these innovations to banks and organizations looking for the latest solutions based on biometric card-authentication in Central and North America.
Forzacard is a Mexico-City based 100% Mexican company, founded in 1991, delivering more than 25 million payment cards per year across multiple countries. The company has extensive operations in Central and North America and is part of Forzaform Group, one of the oldest and most respected industrial groups in the secure printing industry. Forzacard offers a wide range of payment products and services and is a Visa, MasterCard and Carnet 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 the card payment 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 Mauricio Benavides President of Forzaform.
Starting with biometric payment cards, Zwipe will deliver the Zwipe Pay ONE technology platform, technical guidance, and market support services as part of the agreement.
Speaking on the partnership, André Løvestam, CEO at Zwipe says “Mexico is leading the way in the adoption of biometric payment cards in Central and North America. Partnering with Forzacard in Mexico will enable us to respond to a strong and growing demand for biometric payment cards from banks and payment service providers in that region.”
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About Forzacard
Forzacard has always been at the forefront of bringing payment innovations to banks in Mexico since its inception in 1991 and part of ForzaForm S.A. de C.V., a 100% Mexican Corporation of world class. The company’s growth is driven by its wide variety of products and processed materials alongside extensive R&D and continuous investments in emerging technologies, always guaranteeing highest levels of quality and security.
About Zwipe
Zwipe is pioneering the next generation contactless payments experience, providing biometric payment cards components and wearables technology that enable consumers to authorize transactions with their fingerprints without compromising their privacy. Together with an ecosystem of partners including global brands within digital security and financial services, Zwipe is "Making Convenience Safe & Secure" for banks, merchants and consumers. Zwipe's solutions address the hygiene and data theft pitfalls inherent in traditional authentication methods. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with a global presence, Zwipe is leading the next great shift in payments from contactless to contact free.
For more information contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135, info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY and BEIRUT, LEBANON – 27 DECEMBER 2021 – Zwipe is pleased to announce that a medium sized bank in Levant has confirmed a pilot of biometric payment cards enabled with Zwipe Pay ONE in the first half of 2022. The bank is one of the leading brands in the wealth management segment serving thousands of high net-worth and affluent consumers. Zwipe’s single silicon biometric payment card platform has triggered a lot of interest across many markets in the Middle East where banks are well known to use modern digital platforms to deliver world-class user experience and security.
The bank will be supported with the pilot by one of Zwipe’s well-established strategic partners in the region, areeba, that was also amongst the first in the region to recognize the great potential of biometric payments when it launched pilots with many leading banks in the region in 2018. areeba is a well-recognized innovator in the region, pursuing a strategy of driving digital transformation and service excellence through modern technologies.
Speaking on this development, Maher Mikati, CEO at areeba said, “We are always seeking to make use of the latest technologies available to make life more convenient and safer for our esteemed clients. With biometric payments we will significantly enhance user experience and security of our card payment products. We are pleased to pilot the latest generation of biometric cards with Zwipe and this leading bank in wealth management and private banking in the region.”
Ramzi Saboury, General Manager of Zwipe in MENA Region said: “We are very proud that, just weeks after deciding to issue biometric payment cards for their customers in Lebanon and Iraq respectively, areeba is ready to issue biometric payment cards as a service to other issuers in collaboration with Zwipe. We are confident that the pilot will show how biometric payment cards can help the bank to attract new customers, uplift customer loyalty and ensure excellent returns from their payment portfolio. Zwipe will be supporting the bank through all stages of the pilot journey, ensuring smooth pilots with strong end user focus.”
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About areeba
areeba is an electronic payment technology company licensed by Visa and MasterCard and has an agreement with American Express & Discover. Established in 2017, areeba adopts the latest technologies and provides solutions and payment services to banks, governments and merchants to suit their aspirations and needs.
areeba offers services tailored to global requirements, from card issuance and management, non-contact payment solutions, contactless and mobile payment. It also provides merchants and governments with the latest e-commerce platform and point-of-sale machines that adopt the highest standards and safety systems. areeba operates a wide range of loyalty programs, including collecting points and miles, cashback programs, and providing consultancy services for the planning, design and development of electronic products and payment solutions.
For more information, visit www.areeba.com, or @areebalebanon on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram. areeba media contact: Nouchka El Hage, +961-1-954325 - NHage@areeba.com
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 zwipe.com. For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135, info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY, HYDERABAD and PUNE, INDIA - 27 DECEMBER 2021 – Zwipe, KL HI-TECH and Easy Pay can confirm that they will pilot biometric payment cards in India, aiming for commercial launches by summer 2022. Easy Pay is one of the fastest growing payment brands in India whose services are used by over 2 million retail stores and millions of consumers. Zwipe is a fintech pioneering the development of next generation biometric payment solutions.
Founded in 2014, Easy Pay has grown rapidly to become a leading payment brand for merchants and consumers in India. “Paisa Nikal” is an AADHAR Enabled Payment Service (AEPS) which has been ideated and executed by Easy Pay allowing hassle-free and safe transactions for millions of users. In 2020, it processed payment transactions worth USD 8.4 billion (expected to reach USD 12 billion in 2021). Easy Pay has now decided to issue next generation biometric payment cards in collaboration with Zwipe and KL HI-TECH, Zwipe’s manufacturing partner in India.
Speaking on this development, Nilay Patel, Founder & CEO of Easy Pay said, “We are very pleased to bring the next generation contactless cards to India, enabling world-class security, safety and experience for our customers. We see many use cases for biometrics beyond payments, for example access cards for use in hotel chains, as well as high-end real-estate and smart city projects where we have long term contracts and a demanding client base. Following internal tests and external pilots we aim for commercial launches of biometric payment cards during summer of 2022.”
Besides the core biometric card technology, Zwipe will also support Easy Pay through all stages of the pilot ensuring that end users’ experiences and feedback are systematically captured and impact on business case thoroughly assessed.
André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe said, “We are proud to confirm our first pilot in India, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing payment markets. Easy Pay has been a pioneer in driving innovative payment services and biometrics will enable them to further drive differentiation based on security, safety, and user experience. We are delighted that our card manufacturing partner, KL HI-TECH, is part of this exciting journey which we very much look forward to pursuing together”.
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About Easy Pay
Easy Pay is an emerging Payment Solutions Company which is creating its own niche in the Fintech Industry. Formed by highly professional and technological advanced team members and backed by strong corporate ethics. The team works in bridging solutions mainly in the area of payments and bio-metrics. It is India’s upcoming payment domain that facilitates all kinds of payments for everyone and everywhere under one umbrella.
Paisa Nikal is an AADHAR Enabled Payment Service (AEPS) which is ideated & executed by Easy Pay which allows quick, hassle-free & safe transactions. This futuristic model is designed to empower retailers for making digital transactions fast & automated. We're offering comfort & convenience to both the retailers and consumers. Moreover, it even extends electronic payment services to large social strata of customers that do not have the means to pay electronically. It even manages payments for multiple institutional clients and provides them with innovative solutions for business expansion.
This unique business model allows facilitating payments with multiple modes such as cash, card, cheque, net-banking, e-wallet & etc. With much pride & enthusiasm, we're vigorously contributing to the #DigitalIndia Campaign!
Website: www.easypay.in
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 & cultures to make convenience safe & secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card and wearables technology for both 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 zwipe.com For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135, info@zwipe.com
About KL HI-TECH
KL HI-TECH Secure Print Limited (KLHT) is a leading provider of secure print products and printing solutions. Commencing its operations in 1988, KLHT has played a pioneering role in enabling secure payment transactions, banking services and facilitating tele communications in India through its secure print products. At its sprawling state-of-the-art highly secure manufacturing facility located in Hyderabad, the company operates using stringent global standards that are required to manufacture a range of security printing products. The company is certified by Visa, Mastercard & RuPay (National Payments Corporation of India). As per the Nilson Report (2020) KL HI-TECH is the 2nd largest banking card manufacturer in India and 31st largest banking card manufacturer in the world.
KLHT’s business ideology revolves around the prime objective of providing comprehensive, fool-proof security in critical secure print products. KLHT plays a pivotal role by manufacturing products for Banks and Financial Institutions, Central and State Governments, Educational Boards and Institutions, Telecom Sector, Nationwide Election Commissions and Transport Sector.
Exporting to over 52 countries across the Globe, KLHT aims to become one of the leading suppliers of secure print products globally, whilst also pioneering innovation and change to the way payments are made in India and across the globe.
For further information please contact Kartik Shekar, VP – Projects, kartik@klhitech.com, +91 8008 188 466
OSLO, NORWAY – 22 December 2021 – Zwipe has received a commercial order worth MNOK 0.6 for Zwipe Pay ONE. This is the first Zwipe Pay ONE order from this card manufacturer and will be delivered in Q1 2022.
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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 zwipe.com
For further information please contact: André Løvestam, CEO, +47 991 66 135 info@zwipe.com
OSLO, NORWAY - 22 December 2021
With our eyes set on the long-awaited commercial breakthrough for Zwipe which now seems highly likely to happen in 2022, we have spent the last four years undergoing a transformation which has laid the foundation for Zwipe’s long-term success:
Each step on this journey, and each new partner and customer in our ecosystem, contributes to increasing the value creation potential and reducing the risk for Zwipe and its stakeholders. We have indeed come a long way in that regard.
A transformative year
Even on this backdrop, 2021 has been a transformative year for Zwipe:
Adding to our confidence in our future outlook is the universal evidence from numerous consumer surveys from diverse markets around the world that cardholders worldwide will benefit greatly from the touch-less and PIN-free experience with world-class security that is made possible by biometric payment and access control cards. Consumers’ strong trust in and demand for biometrics has been consistent with the findings from our industry peers and other analyst reports.
We also demonstrated Zwipe Pay ONE sample cards from several of our clients, showcased all the Zwipe Pay ONE components, and demonstrated live transactions with Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric cards, along with a range of innovative enrolment solutions, at TRUSTECH 2021 in Paris.
Figure 1: Zwipe Pay ONE based cards from Masria Digital Payments (Egypt). KL Hi-Tech (India), Tag Systems (Andorra), Toppan Forms (Hong Kong), Inkript (Lebanon) and Beautiful Cards Corporation (Taiwan).
Figure 2: Left-hand photos are the front and back of a transparent demo card based on Zwipe Pay ONE. Middle photos are the ZPO passive inlay and the ZPO enrolment sleeve, while the right-hand photos are ZPO module on reel (contact plate with single silicon secure element mounted on the back) and the IDX3405 sensor on 35mm tape.
Closing in on pilots and certification
Like most other companies engaged in multinational development projects, Zwipe has felt the effects of COVID-19 through added complexity, extended lead times and delays. I have been impressed by the grit and determination of my team and our technology partners, systematically overcoming the hurdles as they come.
Having said that, we have made good progress with many issuers that signed up for pilots through 2021. This ranges from running internal tests of biometric cards at issuers to helping their engagements with schemes and supporting them with guidance in preparing the issuing backend to process biometric payments. And feedback from customers has been great; “Paying has been super easy and fast”. That’s exactly what you want to hear from the field!
Next milestone is the submission of Zwipe Pay ONE based reference cards for certification by both VISA and Mastercard. Zwipe’s technology partner, Idemia, announced in November 2021, that it had obtained full certification from both schemes for its F.CODE biometric payment card. These certifications (Letters of Approval) represent full validation of the core components in our Zwipe Pay ONE platform, notably the shared single silicon biometric secure element, where Idemia and Zwipe have co-invested since 2019, and the IDX3405 fingerprint sensor from Idex Biometrics.
The Zwipers
Last, and most importantly, I want to express my deep gratitude to the exceptional Team of Zwipers around the world whose passion and grit continued to create so much value for our customers, partners, and shareholders through this challenging pandemic which has taken its toll on everyone. The purpose of our efforts is to give everyone the power of access by being themselves no matter where they are or who they are.
My sincere thanks also go out to all our customers, partners, and shareholders for sharing our mission and supporting our journey.
I wish each one of you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
The Board of Directors of Zwipe AS, org. nr 994 553 607, has on November 10, 2019, subject to the approval by an Extraordinary General Meeting, decided to carry out a preferential rights issue of up to MNOK 74 by issuing up to 10 635 525 shares, implying an increase of the Company’s share capital of up to NOK 1 063 553.
90 percent of the Rights Issue, amounting to MNOK 67, is already covered through subscription commitments and underwriting commitments from current shareholders and new investors.
Background and purpose
During 2019 Zwipe has made significant technological, commercial and organizational progress. Most notably, Zwipe entered a strategic collaboration with Idemia on a disruptive technology platform for biometric payments. Furthermore, Zwipe successfully completed the prototyping of its in-house Z5 energy harvesting and power management chip, extended its network of card manufacturer clients, delivered according to its first received order for its second generation inlay technology, and was engaged by G+D Mobile Security to provide product design and prototyping for a wearable biometric payment device to be piloted by a leading bank.
The preferential rights issue is carried out in order to secure working capital toward commercialization and scale-up of Zwipe’s technology platform. The commercialization efforts will be accompanied by a targeted program to focus and streamline the company’s resources.
CEO André Løvestam commented “This rights issue is planned to extend Zwipe’s financial runway all the way to scale-up of biometric cards, and I am pleased that we have achieved a 90% guaranteed subscription. We now see a clear path toward finalizing and commercializing our technology, with the required capital resources to get to that point.
Zwipe is streamlining its product roadmap and pursuing cost saving opportunities that will reduce the current burn-rate. This has been made possible on the back of the strategic collaboration with Idemia, the global leader in Augmented Identity and one of the world’s largest payment card manufacturers, on a disruptive technology platform that we together with our partner Idemia believe is a game changer and a catalyst for growth in the industry. The new platform will integrate and simplify component design, drastically reducing costs of the product itself and the manufacturing process. As a result, a complete biometric payment card cost of below USD 10 is becoming realistic, providing an accelerated path to mass volumes while giving Zwipe a long-term cost leadership position.”
Summary of Rights Issue
The subscription price is NOK 7.00 per share. The Company’s shareholders have preferential rights to subscribe to the new shares in relation to the number of shares currently held. For each recorded share the shareholder obtains one (1) subscription right. Three (3) subscription rights entitle to subscription of two (2) newly issued shares.
The Record Date for participation in the Rights Issue is planned for December 4, 2019. The subscription period is expected to run from December 5 up to and including December 19, 2019. The Board of Directors shall have the right to extend the subscription period if deemed beneficial. In the event that not all shares have been subscribed for in the Rights Issue, the Board of Directors, within the maximum scope of the Rights Issue, resolve on the allocation of shares subscribed for without subscription rights.
The Company has obtained subscription commitments and undertaking commitments from a number of current shareholders and external investors. The subscription commitments from existing shareholders, and external investors who will receive subscription rights from major shareholders who cannot participate, amount to 16.1 percent of the Rights Issue. Underwriting commitments amount to an additional 73.9 percent of the Rights Issue. In total, the subscription commitments and underwriting commitments from current shareholders and new investors amount to MNOK 67.0, corresponding to 90.0 percent of the Rights Issue.
Timetable for the Rights Issue
The below timetable for the Rights Issue is preliminary and may be adjusted:
Prospectus
Complete information regarding the Rights Issue and information about the Company will be included in the prospectus that is expected to be published on or about December 4, 2019.
Extraordinary General Meeting
To obtain approval to carry out the Rights Issue, the Board of Directors has decided to call for an extraordinary general meeting. The extraordinary general meeting is to be held on December 2, 2019 at 11:30 at the office of Simonsen Vogt Wiig Advokatfirma, Filipstad Brygge 1, Oslo. The notice of the meeting will be published today through a separate press release.
For further information please contact:
André Løvestam, CEO: andre@zwipe.com +47 93 43 69 52
Lars Myren, Interim CFO: lars@zwipe.com +47 90 94 36 60
Advisors
In connection with the Rights Issue, Zwipe has appointed Erik Penser Bank AB (publ) as book runner, and Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig AS as legal advisor.
For more information, please visit www.zwipe.com
Important information
The information in this press release does not constitute an offer to sell, acquire, subscribe for or otherwise trade in shares or other securities issued by Zwipe AS. No offer will be made in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or where this would require registration, publication of a prospectus or similar action. Invitation to interested parties to subscribe for shares in Zwipe AS will only be made through the prospectus that Zwipe AS will publish.
There will be no public offer of shares in the United States. The new shares have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or under the securities law of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be reoffered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred, directly or indirectly, except (a) outside the United States in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 of Regulation S, as applicable or (b) pursuant to Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act by executing and delivering a separate U.S. investor representation letter to the manager. A person in the United States or who is a “U.S. Person” (within the meaning of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), may not apply for Offer Shares or otherwise take steps in order to subscribe for or purchase Offer Shares unless the subscriber has confirmed to the manager that it is a "qualified institutional buyer" ("QIB") as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act, acquiring the Offer Shares for investments purposes for its own account or for one or more accounts of another/other QIB(s), where it has investment discretion over such accounts in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act by executing and delivering a U.S. investor representation letter to the manager. The Offer Shares are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the U.S. Securities Act and may not be deposited into any unrestricted depositary receipt facility in the United States, unless at the time of deposit the Offer Shares are no longer "restricted securities".
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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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