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   LEVALLOIS, France & DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(Business Wire)--Oberthur Technologies, one of the world`s largest providers of security andidentification solutions and services based on smart card technologies, todayannounced its acquisition of Cupola Plastic Cards which is based in Dubai. In joining forces, Oberthur Technologies and Cupola Plastic Cards will becomethe regional leader in the Middle East and secure a strong presence in a numberof African markets. Oberthur Technologies is able to offer customers a verydiverse portfolio of payment cards, including EMV cards such as SDA, DDA, CPAand Dual Interface cards for contactless payments, enabling customers to benefitfrom the experience of thousands of successful EMV migrations. The company alsooffers solutions such as the Smart PIN, where the customer receives his bankingcard PIN via SMS, which is particularly interesting in the Middle East as mostprivate addresses are P.O. Boxes. In addition to this, Oberthur Technologies isalso on the forefront of new innovative solutions in the mobile payment marketwith offers, such as the Visa and MasterCard certified comprehensive range ofmobile commerce and financial service solutions including a secured mobilewallet infrastructure and an NFC end-to-end offer. These are of particularinterest for Oberthur Technologies` customers among financial institutions,mobile operators and transport companies. "The acquisition of Cupola is a visible result of our focused growth strategyfor RMEA, which demonstrates our commitment to the region. We complement eachother very well and will be able to provide new and exciting products andservices across an even wider geographical zone. The acquisition will enable usto present our solutions, such as NFC, to more customers in more countriesacross the Middle East and Africa," said Thierry Siminger, Managing Director,Russia, Middle East, Africa at Oberthur Technologies. "It will also enable us toimprove our customer-service thanks to a large high-capacity personalisationbureau, with a full service package available to our joint customers." "We are proud that our work at Cupola Plastic Cards and our results haveencouraged Oberthur Technologies to acquire Cupola. It is a logical next stepborne by our strategy of focusing on smart cards, personalisation andpersonalisation solutions. This acquisition will be advantageous for ourcustomers, who will benefit from Oberthur Technologies` wide knowledge andskills in the NFC and payment solutions combined with Cupola`s strong regionalpresence and track record," said Kazim Awan, CEO of Cupola. About Oberthur TechnologiesOberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies:systems development, solutions and services for smart cards (payment cards, SIMcards, access cards, NFC) and for secure identity documents, traditional andelectronic (identity card, passport, health care card). Created in 1984,Oberthur Technologies employs over 6 000 employees. With 50 sales offices across5 continents, Oberthur Technologies` international network serves clients in 140countries. For more information: 
  www.oberthur.com
 About Cupola Plastic CardsCupola Plastic Cards is a world class Visa and MasterCard certified smart cardmanufacturer and personalisation services provider, offering end-to-endsolutions to a wide range of sectors, including financial services,telecommunications and retail. Since its formation in 1999, Cupola has been amajor regional provider of financial products and services, loyalty programs andpersonalisation services and has established a sizable presence in GCC, Levantand Africa. Cupola`s purpose built facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, UAEhas an annual production capacity of up to 300 million cards as well asproprietary personalisation capabilities. For more information: 
  www.cupolagroup.com
   Oberthur TechnologiesAnnika Hellgren : +46 73 684 47 02a.hellgren@oberthur.comorFTI Consulting Strategic CommunicationsYannick Duverg : +33 1 47 03 68 65 / +33 6 74 91 48 05yannick.duverge@fticonsulting.comGuillaume Granier : + 33 1 47 03 68 61 / + 33 6 32 65 79 28guillaume.granier@fticonsulting.comCopyright Business Wire 2012