NOTICE OF INQUIRY INTO THE MERGER INVOLVING IDEMIA GOVERNMENT USA CORP. AND IDEMIA PUBLIC SECURITY FRANCE SAS BY AMADEUS IT GROUP S.A.

EAC COMPETITION AUTHORITY MERGER INQUIRY NOTICE NO. 10 OF 2026.

THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF SOLE CONTROL OF IDEMIA GOVERNMENT USA CORP. AND IDEMIA PUBLIC SECURITY FRANCE SAS BY AMADEUS IT GROUP S.A.

It is hereby notified in terms of Regulation 8 of the EAC Competition (Mergers and Acquisitions) Regulations, 2025 (the Regulations) that the EAC Competition Authority (the Authority) after receiving a notification in terms of Section 11 of the East African Community Competition Act, 2006 (the Act) involving Amadeus IT Group S.A. (Amadeus), Idemia Government USA Corp. (IPS US) and Idemia Public Security France SAS (IPS France), intends to embark on an inquiry in terms of Part IV of the Act and Part III of the Regulations.

The proposed transaction entails the acquisition by Amadeus of 100% of the shares of both IPS US and IPS France respectively from Idemia Finance and Idemia France. Idemia Finance and Idemia France are both wholly owned by Idemia Group SAS (Idemia), a simplified joint-stock company incorporated in accordance with the laws of France. Accordingly, the proposed transaction is an acquisition of sole control by Amadeus over IPS.

The acquiring undertaking, Amadeus is incorporated under the laws of Spain as a publicly listed company, with shares admitted to trading on the Spanish Stock Exchanges of Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia. Amadeus is a global group providing technology and distribution solutions to airlines, airports, hotels, rail operators, travel agencies, tour operators and other travel-related entities, as well as payments, data, digital media and analytics solutions. Its operations are organised into three principal business areas: (i) Air Distribution; (ii) Air IT Solutions; and (iii) Hospitality and Transversal Solutions.

The target undertaking comprises of two principal parent entities: (i) Idemia Government USA Corp. (IPS US), a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, and (ii) Idemia Public Security France SAS (IPS France), a French simplified joint-stock company incorporated under the laws of France, which together with their respective subsidiaries comprise Idemia Public Security (IPS). IPS is currently wholly owned by Idemia.

IPS is a global provider of biometric identification technologies and solutions. IPS' operations are organized into three principal business divisions: (i) Borders & Travel, which provides biometric solutions for border control, and passenger processing; (ii) Law Enforcement, which provides biometric identification systems for police and justice agencies, including automated fingerprint and facial recognition solutions; and (iii) Access, which provides biometric access control, digital identity and credentialing solutions for secure physical and digital environments.

Within the EAC, IPS undertakes Law Enforcement activities in Kenya and Access activities in Tanzania.

The parties have submitted that the proposed transaction is driven by their objective of supporting a more connected and seamless travel experience through the integration of advanced technologies, including biometric solutions.

The Authority shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Act and Regulations, determine, among other things, whether or not the merger is likely to substantially lessen competition within the Community or is contrary to the public interest. In view of this, the Authority hereby gives notice to all interested stakeholders, including competitors, suppliers and customers of the merging parties to submit written representations to the Authority with regard to the subject matter of the proposed inquiry by emailing them to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All written representations should be sent to the Authority not later than 10th August, 2026.

If you wish to seek further details and/ or clarifications on any aspect of this proposed transaction or need assistance, you may get in touch with the Deputy Registrar, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mr. Vincent Okoth on +255 27 216 2100 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

All written representations submitted to the Authority will be treated with the strictest confidentiality and will only be used for the purpose of this inquiry.