France-based multinational Thales, a leader in the aerospace, space, defence to security & transportation industries, has announced the global acquisition of digital security group Gemalto in a deal worth €4.8 billion ($5.38 billion).

This combination creates a world-class champion with an unrivalled portfolio of digital security solutions based on technologies of digital identity, data protection, biometry and, more largely, cybersecurity.

With Gemalto, Thales will cover the entire critical decision chain in a digital world, from data generation via sensors, to real-time decision support. This acquisition increases Thales’s revenues to €19 billion and self-funded R&D to €1 billion a year, with 80,000 employees in 68 countries.

Research and development (R&D) is at the core of the new Group, and with the acquisition today, the Group has become a giant laboratory inventing the world of tomorrow, with a portfolio of 20,500 patents, of which more than 400 were registered in 2018.

Present in the Middle East for over forty years, Thales has developed strong relations and partnerships with countries in the region and is widely recognised as a reliable partner with local companies. The Group is a trusted partner in defence and security, transportation, aerospace and space and is involved in a number of high profile large scale projects across the region.

An extended global footprint

Following this acquisition, Gemalto will form one of Thales’s seven global divisions, to be named Digital Identity and Security (DIS). Gemalto will interact with all of the Group’s civil and defence customers and will significantly strengthen its industrial presence in 68 countries.

Thales will considerably expand its operations in Latin America (2,500 employees, up from 600), triple its presence in Northern Asia (1,980, from 700), Southeast Asia (2,500, from 800) and India (1,150, from 400) and North America (6,660 employees, up from 4,600).

“With Gemalto, a global leader in digital identification and data protection, Thales has acquired a set of highly complementary technologies and competencies with applications in all of our five vertical markets, which are now redefined as aerospace; space; ground transportation; digital identity and security; and defence and security,” said Patrice Caine, chairman and CEO, Thales

“These are the smart technologies that help people make the best choices at every decisive moment. The acquisition is a turning point for the Group’s 80,000 employees. Together, we are creating a giant in digital identity and security with the capabilities to compete in the big leagues worldwide,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service