14 July 2006
The London Stock Exchange is delighted to welcome Secure Design Institute KK (SDI) as the first Japanese company to join AIM.
SDI offers a range of fingerprint authentication products and systems, from an integrated system to a mobile device, to companies and individuals that wish to establish high levels of security using biometrics. Biometrics uses a physical attribute of the body, such as a fingerprint to identify and verify the individual with the aim of making individual authentication efficient and secure.
One of their key mobile identification devices is the ITube, a USB memory stick with embedded authentication hardware and software, that contains a fingerprint matching programme and can be used by any Windows based PC via a standard USB interface.
The worldwide demand for biometrics is estimated to be increasing by approximately 30 per cent per year with the market estimated to grow to almost $6 billion by 2010 from $2 billion in 2006. Biometric applications and systems are already being used for security in personal, commercial, government and military organisations and are expanding to financial, IT, telecommunication and medical segments.
Taketoshi Kashiwabara, the Chairman of Secure Design, commented:
“We are delighted to be the first Japanese company admitted to AIM, establishing Secure Design on an international platform. As biometric applications in national identification become commonplace, the commercial applications will proliferate and we look forward to pursuing the exciting opportunities that exist through increasing our financial and commercial profile.
Our flotation on AIM will further support our plans to develop the business through domestic growth in our home market of Japan and through carefully targeted acquisitions in overseas markets.”
Charles Stanley Securities is acting as Nominated Adviser and Broker to the Company.
