Gemalto

Gemalto was a multinational digital security company that provided secure software and hardware to protect identities and data. Its products included SIM cards, smart cards, secure tokens, and payment cards, as well as software platforms for digital identity, online authentication, and secure e-government and financial solutions. The company served telecom operators, banks, governments, and enterprises worldwide.

Gemalto originated in 2006 from the merger of two French companies, Gemplus and Axalto, creating one of the world’s largest providers of smart cards and related digital security technologies. It expanded through acquisitions and partnerships, developing portfolios in e-passports, government identity programs, and cloud-based security services.

In 2016, Thales Group announced plans to acquire Gemalto for about €4.8 billion. The acquisition was completed in 2019, and Gemalto’s business became part of Thales’s digital identity and security division.

Since the merger, Gemalto’s products and expertise have been integrated into Thales’s offerings, with the brand largely subsumed into the Thales identity and security portfolio. The combined organization continues to provide solutions for secure identification, payment, mobile and credentialing technologies, drawing on Gemalto’s legacy in cards and secure elements alongside Thales’s broader security capabilities.