NEXT Biometrics Production Line Operational to Mass Produce Flexible Fingerprint Sensors with Partner Innolux; NEXT Collaborates with Customers on Smart Card Projects

OSLO, NORWAY--(Marketwired - Jun 20, 2017) - NEXT Biometrics Group ASA (Oslo Bors: NEXT) announced that NEXT is now operational with the world's first volume production line to mass produce production-ready flexible fingerprint sensors with its production partner Innolux in Taiwan, reaching the milestone capability it previously forecast to achieve during the first half of 2017.

The company announced that NEXT and Innolux have worked extensively through 2016 and 2017 to achieve the target. The tools funded by NEXT for the production process have been successfully installed and operate according to specifications. Innolux has qualified the materials and NEXT is collaborating with customers on smart card projects.

NEXT CEO Ritu Favre said: "We are not aware of any other fingerprint supplier able to mass produce flexible sensors. This is not a trivial achievement. We have converted a truly innovative idea from the prototype level to the volume mass production level, and achieved this in a field where others have yet to succeed. The smart card market represents endless opportunities and with a mass production line in place, we look forward to extend our discussions and negotiations with potential clients."

At a presentation for shareholders at Innolux, Taiwan, Executive Vice President and head of its technology development center, Mr. Chin-Lung Ting today stated that, "Thermal sensing technology from NEXT is now successfully applied on flexible panel with satisfactory quality. Innolux was impressed by the active thermal fingerprint sensing technology of NEXT Biometrics with its large screen area, high accuracy and compatibility with both hard glass and flexible panel. It is the best solution to the information security concern of the smart card market."

Mr. Ting further indicated that, "G3.5 fab at Jhunan will be extended for the mass production of flexible panels. NEXT's flexible panels will become the cash cow of Innolux." Innolux and NEXT Biometrics co-invest in technology and capacity development to enhance the penetration of fingerprint sensor to credit card, electronic payment, mobile phone, and notebook computer to safeguard the global information security.

ABOUT NEXT Biometrics: Enabled by its patented NEXT Active Thermal principle, NEXT Biometrics (www.NextBiometrics.com) offers high quality area fingerprint sensors at a fraction of the prices of comparable competitors. A wide range of product formats including smartcards, smartphones, tablets, PC's, access control, time registration systems, wearables, payment terminals, flash drives, USB tokens, key fobs and many more are targeted.

NEXT Biometric Group ASA is a publicly listed company headquartered in Oslo, Norway and with sales, support and development subsidiaries in Seattle, Silicon Valley, Taipei, Prague and Shanghai. Media and Investor contacts for NEXT Biometrics are CEO Ritu Favre at Ritu.Favre@NEXTbiometrics.com and CFO Knut Stalen at Knut.Stalen@NEXTbiometrics.com.