Valid buys majority stake in biometric project partner Mitra, expands into Brazilian Smart City segment

Brazilian secure identification company Valid has purchased a 51 percent stake in local integrated system provider Mitra to expand into the Smart City vertical, the company announced.

Mitra’s systems for municipal management have been rolled out in São Paulo region in São Caetano do Sul, Santo André, Vinhedo, and Araraquara, and in Campos dos Goytacazes in Rio de Janeiro. The platform digitally manages the health, education, mobility and security sectors, as it integrates and structures local government information.

“The acquisition of MITRA strengthens Valid’s capacity to promote, in a customized way, the digital transformation of our customers. And it’s not just about technology: at the end, we deliver for Local Governments the citizen’s digital inclusion tools, for an increasingly efficient and generating quality of life,” said Valid CEO Carlos Affonso in a prepared statement.

Before the purchase, a jointly developed program was implemented for the biometric re-registration of citizens which resulted in the Citizen Certificate and the “São Caetano Card,” which provides quick access to municipal public services. The granular identity data enabled a data processing system spatialized with disease incidence indicators by neighborhood and region to help with COVID-19 control and management.

In Vinhedo in São Paulo region, SIM Empresa tool Easy was used to simplify the paperwork required to open, register and close companies, taking the entire process online, in another example of Brazil’s shift to intelligent city management.

Valid has also recently purchased Digital Parking, already operational in Belo Horizonte, Salvador and Fortaleza. Valid’s smart city solutions have been implemented in 34 municipalities in Brazil.

Mitra was initially acquired for R$ 9.5 million (US$1.75 million), but the final spending may near R$ 17.5 million (roughly $3.3 million).

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  smart cities  |  Valid