NEXT Biometrics (NEXT) announces new volume order to deliver its flagship,
recently Aadhaar certified, FAP20 fingerprint sensor to one of its Indian OEM
customers in Q4 2023. The order is a part of the NOK 65 million order that was
announced on 3 July 2023. The customer's products target the Point of Sales
(POS) market. 

As previously announced, the Indian government is upgrading India's biometric
and digital ID services program, Aadhaar, to the next generation security
standard. Thus, as per June 2024, all devices to be used within the ID program
must now meet new, stricter security requirements and be certified according to
Aadhaar's L1 certification level. 

The Aadhaar security upgrade creates strong momentum for NEXT, as roughly 4.5
million devices are expected to either be completely replaced by new biometric
products or partly replaced by new upgraded sensors. The Indian OEM which has
placed the volume order is targeting to complete its Aadhaar L1 certification in
Q1 2024. 

"We are delighted to support our customer in bringing their product to the
dynamic Aadhaar market. The order is also a crystal-clear message to the Indian
market that OEMs with domestic electronics module manufacturing operations are
preparing to take significant market share from competing OEMs that are based in
and is importing modules from other Asian countries. Moreover, NEXT has now
proved and established itself as a strong, knowledgeable and trusted technology
partner to key OEMs with manufacturing in India.", says Digvijay Singh Kanwar,
Senior Vice President and Head of Sales for India, US, Europe and Africa (IUEA)
at NEXT Biometrics. 

"Initially, the transition from L0 certified devices to L1 certified devices and
integrations moved very slowly. However, with large Indian banks now starting to
use L1 products and other large players following their lead, the integration
pace is rapidly speeding up. The number of tenders is also increasing, and we
continue to proactively address and support the Indian market's needs.",
concludes Digvijay Singh Kanwar. 

For more information, please contact:
Ulf Ritsvall, CEO, Next Biometrics
ulf.ritsvall@nextbiometrics.com

Eirik Underthun, CFO, NEXT Biometrics
eirik.underthun@nextbiometrics.com

About NEXT's FAP 20 fingerprint sensor
o NEXT's FAP20 fingerprint sensor is one of the company's most sought-after,
high-security, flagship sensors. 
o It features a large 12x17mm active sensing area for fast, convenient
fingerprint enrollment and authentication at low biometric errors. 
o The sensor also comes in a version, which is intended exclusively for the
Aadhaar market in India and certified in accordance with all the latest security
requirements.

About NEXT Biometrics 
NEXT provides advanced fingerprint sensor technology that delivers uncompromised
security and accuracy for the best possible user experience in the smart card,
government ID, access control and notebook markets. The company's patented NEXT
Active ThermalTM principle allows the development of large, high quality
fingerprint sensors. NEXT Biometrics Group ASA is headquartered in Oslo, with
sales, support and development operations in Seattle, Taipei, Tokyo, New Delhi
and Shanghai.