Signed a Strategic Technology Partnership with Advanced Card Systems Ltd. (Hong Kong)

Conol has signed a strategic technology partnership agreement, effective July 1, 2026, with Advanced Card Systems Ltd. ("ACS"), Asia's No. 1 manufacturer of smart card readers, NFC readers and identity verification devices, headquartered in Hong Kong and supplying its products worldwide. The partnership pairs ACS's hardware development capability and global manufacturing and supply network with Conol's Wallet integration, cloud-based access management, firmware development, and deployment and business development experience in Japan. Starting from access management for hotels and facilities, the two companies will focus on Wallet-based membership cards, tickets and digital keys, plus identity verification using passports and similar documents — covering everything from joint proposals through to product and solution development.

Takaaki Mizota, Representative Director, Conol Inc. (left) / Loi Yong Yau, Advanced Card Systems Ltd. (right)

Members of Conol and ACS

Background

Smartphone Wallets now go well beyond membership cards and tickets, reaching hotel room keys and entry keys for offices and other facilities. Making that feel natural and secure for users, however, takes more than the credential inside the Wallet: the NFC device that reads it, the firmware, the cloud, permission management and the equipment already installed on site all have to be designed as one system. ACS brings a broad range of reading hardware — including WalletMate II and its passport readers — together with development and manufacturing capabilities built for global markets. Conol has covered the software side through "Wallethod" for issuing and managing Wallet passes and "Clue for Hotel" for cloud-based hotel key management, along with Wallet integration, firmware, cloud infrastructure and access management for facilities. The two companies have already worked together on connecting ACS passport readers with Conol's hotel systems and on joint demonstrations at events such as the International Hotel & Restaurant Show. This agreement turns that project-by-project cooperation into a standing framework for combining their technologies and market reach.

Focus Areas

• Joint proposals for the Japanese market: preparing shared proposal materials and standard deployment models, and combining Conol's hotel and facility network with the product and support structure of ACS and its Japanese subsidiary.
• Use case development: designing concrete scenarios that combine ACS readers with Conol's Wallethod, Clue for Hotel and cloud-based access management.
• Expanding Wallet-related technology: broadening the use of Wallet passes for membership cards, tickets and digital keys, aiming for environments that are easy to adopt, secure and sustainable over the long term.
• Joint product development: planning new hardware, embedded modules, firmware, cloud services and integrated solutions together, with development and launch proceeding by agreement on each project.
• Expansion beyond Japan: focusing first on hotels, lodging facilities, offices and commercial facilities in Japan, then considering joint expansion into Asia and other overseas markets.

Envisioned use cases include linking identity verification to digital room key issuance at hotels, Wallet-based entry and exit management for facilities, identity verification using passports and ID documents, and a phased shift to NFC- and Wallet-ready access management that makes use of existing equipment.

Key Products and Services

WalletMate II (ACS):an NFC reader for membership cards, tickets and digital keys held in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. Combined with Wallethod, it will be used for identity verification and entry/exit management at facilities.

Passport reader (ACS):an identity verification device that reads passport MRZ and IC chip data, intended for hotel check-in, guest registration and integration with key issuance.

Wallethod (Conol): a cloud service for issuing and managing digital passes for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, covering membership cards, tickets, hotel keys and digital keys for entry and exit.

Clue for Hotel (Conol): an access management system that manages key permissions for guest rooms, common areas and back-of-house areas in the cloud, supporting both card keys and smartphone digital keys.