Toppan strengthens Africa biometrics market position with Face Technologies acquisition

Global printing company Toppan has announced the acquisition of biometrics and card solutions provider Face Technologies.

The move will reportedly enable Toppan to strengthen its market position in Africa and enable the firm to start developing a number of digital ID-focused solutions.

These will include government biometric identity programs and solutions like civil registration, elections, ID, and passports, together with driver and vehicle registrations.

“We are very pleased that Face Technologies, which is a global IT system integrator focused on Africa, is now part of the Toppan family,” commented Jean-Pierre Ting, managing director of Toppan Gravity.

“We appreciate Face Technologies’ extensive know-how and expertise along with their long-term experience and references in the ID and election business in Africa.”

Following the acquisition, Face Technologies will change its name to Toppan FaceTech and will retain its center of operation in Irene, South Africa.

The firm will also utilize the wider ecosystem under the Toppan umbrella to further improve its biometric solutions.

“Being part of a bigger group of companies which include, amongst others, Toppan iDGate, an AI-face recognition and mobile security token identity verification specialist, as well as Toppan FutureCard an end-to-end smart card solutions provider, will enable us to offer a diverse, state-of-the-art solution portfolio for the identity verification market,” said Serfies Serfontein, managing director of Face Technologies.

Toppan has recently also formed a partnership with cybersecurity firm Isara Corporation to develop smart cards with biometric security and post-quantum public-key cryptography.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital ID cards  |  elections  |  Face Technologies  |  national ID  |  South Africa  |  Toppan