IN Groupe, a French identity solutions provider, has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire IDEMIA Smart Identity, a key division of IDEMIA Group.

The acquisition would create a new entity with over €1 billion in sales, bolstering IN Groupe’s presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

The combined capabilities would provide enhanced access to critical segments of the identity value chain, including chip design and advanced software, crucial for secure identity documents.

This acquisition aligns with IN Groupe’s growth strategy, addressing the increasing demand for secure identity solutions, the trend towards digitalization, and the rise of European standards in the digital identity ecosystem.

The French state, IN Groupe’s sole shareholder, supports the acquisition.

The transaction, subject to regulatory approvals and consultations, is expected to close in 2025.

Agnès Diallo, CEO of IN Groupe, said,

“We are looking forward to joining forces with IDEMIA Smart Identity to create a new global leading player for advanced and secure identity solutions. This is a unique and transformative milestone for IN Groupe.

It is fully aligned with our strategy to consolidate our position in physical and digital identity at a global scale to better serve our clients. IDEMIA Smart Identity’s teams, technologies and solutions, perfectly complement our own capabilities and I firmly believe that coming together would strongly benefit our customers.”

Pierre Barrial, CEO of IDEMIA Group, said,

“We are reaching a decisive milestone with this project to sell IDEMIA Smart Identity, one of the leading providers of secure identity solutions, to create a market leading player.

With €2.5 billion in revenue, 12,500 employees, and 4,000 customers with its Secure Transactions and Public Security divisions, IDEMIA Group would embark on a new chapter in its history and remain focused on delivering mission critical solutions powered by biometrics and cryptography addressing specific market segments, and accelerating its future growth”.

Featured image credit: Edited from Freepik