IN Groupe completes acquisition of Idemia Smart Identity

The deal is done: French document printing institution IN Groupe has completed its acquisition of Idemia Smart Identity, the biometrics and identity verification arm of French digital identity and security brand Idemia. It is the largest acquisition ever for the 500-year-old firm, which has its roots in the French Renaissance, and is now aiming to capture the EU digital identity market.

A release says the transaction builds on the geographical, commercial and technological complements both companies offer, and that it will “enable IN Groupe to become the global leader in end-to-end, advanced physical and digital identity solutions and trust services, with strong European roots and unparalleled capabilities to serve international markets.”

In keeping with IN Groupe’s so-called “phygital” development strategy, it creates a combined entity that is likely to have a higher growth trajectory in both domestic and international markets, with extensive capabilities in physical manufacturing and biometric technology. IN Groupe’s stated goal is to “consolidate its competitive advantage internationally and capture a growing share of the expanding digital ID market.”

Terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but estimates have gone as high as a billion euros (US$1.1 billion).

Let’s get phygital: IN Groupe declares ‘new era’ with strategy

IN Groupe traces its history back some 500 years, when it was founded as Imprimerie Nationale, the French printing firm granted royal privileges. As IN Groupe, it has produced biometric passports, electronic driving licenses and smartcards, and provided the French national electronic identity card in 2021. Adding Idemia Smart Identity’s biometric capabilities, gives it continuity through the value-chain, from chip design to facial recognition software.

Agnès Diallo, chairwoman and CEO of IN Groupe, calls it a “new era” for the firm, and says the acquisition “significantly expands our capabilities, strengthens our position across the entire identity value chain and enriches our portfolio of products and solutions. These enhanced capabilities will allow us to better serve clients around the world and accelerate our growth. Based on these strong foundations, my ambition for our group is to become the global leader in secure identity solutions and trust services.”

Although IN Groupe is privatized, the French state is the sole shareholder. A 2022 audit by the chief national audit body of France, the Cour des Comptes, recommended the expansion of external “growth operations” through the acquisition of skills, technologies and new markets.

The acquisition promises to deliver on that. The numbers alone put IN Groupe in rarefied company: it boasts a consolidated turnover of more than 1 billion euros, and now counts more than 4,000 employees in both public and private organizations. That kind of reach, combined with its extensive product portfolio, positions it to serve as a leading name in security and data protection, in the EU and beyond.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  IDEMIA  |  Idemia Smart Identity  |  IN Groupe