Precise Biometrics Hands Off Tactivo Business to Focus on Fingerprint Tech

Seeking to fully focus its resources on fingerprint biometrics technology, Precise Biometrics has divested itself of its Mobile Smart Card Solutions business, the arm of the company concerned with its Tactivo smart card reading devices.

Germany-based Security-as-a-Service provider IDENTOS GmbH will take over the business as of January 1st, 2018. For the next two years, it will pay a commission to Precise Biometrics for all Tactivo sales. In a statement announcing the agreement, Precise Biometrics said its Mobile Smart Card Solutions business saw net sales of 13.9 million Kr, and that its commission from IDENTOS is not expected to have “any significant impact on earnings.”

Precise Biometrics’ Tactivo readers are designed to encase iPhones and iPads, adding extra security to such devices with its smart card reader. The devices have seen some large orders from government organizations, but have long been secondary in importance to Precise Biometrics’ fingerprint algorithm software, which is now being used in a wide range of mobile devices’ fingerprint readers.

Precise Biometrics says that personnel currently working in its Mobile Smart Card Solutions business will be transferred over to other positions as IDENTOS takes over the unit, with CEO Håkan Persson calling the arrangement “a good solution for Precise Biometrics that enables us to devote our full attention to developing our offering in the Fingerprint Technology business area.”