TOKYO and SANTA ANA, Calif., March 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) and Identive Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:INVE) (Frankfurt:INV) today announced they have jointly developed a new ID card reader that allows Japanese merchants, banks and others to read any of the diverse types of electronic identity credentials in use in Japan. The NDI711 reader supports the rapidly growing market for near field communications (NFC) phones and cards, and also includes a traditional contact smart card interface. The ability to read both contact and contactless ID credentials, together with a compact form factor, make the NDI711 reader ideal for use in the space conscious retail environment in Japan.

The first customer for the new reader is a leading mobile phone retailer that has purchased more than 20,000 of the devices for installation in its stores across Japan. In addition to verifying customers' IDs when they sign up for their mobile phones, the readers are also being used at the customer service counter to validate customers for after-sales services such as phone repairs. The reader makes it easier for the retailers' employees to collect required customer data and is faster and more convenient for their customers.

"Japan has taken a leading role globally in the implementation of electronic identification credentials, but the use of disparate electronic technologies has made it difficult for many sectors to move away from paper-based systems. Our cooperation with DNP targets a significant opportunity to provide electronic identity authentication to the retail, banking and public sectors in Japan," said Dr. Manfred Mueller, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Identive's ID Infrastructure division.

"The ability of the NDI711 to read both the contactless NFC chip and the contact IC chip is particularly exciting, as this broadens the device's usefulness and security capabilities. The NDI711 has the opportunity to form the centerpiece of authentication for many types of applications in the Japanese market," stated Sakae Hikita, Managing Director of Dai Nippon Printing.

In Japan it is a common requirement that mobile phone stores confirm the identity of their customers when they sign up for new phone plans or transfer their mobile phones services. Currently most stores manually copy personal identity credentials such as a driver's license and store these as hardcopy files, which creates a workload issue. Within stores that have implemented electronic card readers, two separate devices are required to handle the various types of contact and contactless card technologies used in identification credentials. The NDI711 enables retail stores to utilize one small device to read a wide variety of ID credential types, including Japan's millions of FeliCa and Osaifu-Keitai Mobile Wallet phones, contactless Type A/Type B smart cards (used for drivers' licenses and the Juki resident registry card).

About Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP)

DNP is one of the world's largest comprehensive printing companies, with annual sales of 1,589 trillion yen and approximately 40,000 employees as of March 2011. DNP's wide range of businesses include publication printing, commercial printing, smart cards, business forms, network business and electronic components. More information about DNP can be found at www.dnp.co.jp/eng/.

About Identive

Identive Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:INVE) (Frankfurt:INV) is focused on building the world's signature company in Secure ID. The company's products, software, systems and services address the markets for identity management, physical and logical access control, NFC and a host of RFID-enabled applications for customers in the government, enterprise, consumer, education, healthcare and transportation sectors. Identive's mission is to build a lasting business of scale and technology based on a combination of strong technology-driven organic growth and disciplined acquisitive expansion. For additional info visit: www.identive-group.com.  

The Identive Group, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=8072

CONTACT: Darby Dye
         +1 949 553-4251
         ddye@identive-group.com
         
         Lennart Streibel
         +49 89 9595-5195
         lstreibel@identive-group.com