ActivCard SA, the Suresnes, France smartcard company, has denied that rival Schlumberger Ltd has tabled a bid to acquire it. Industry reports at the weekend linked the two French smartcard firms and said that Paris-based Schlumberger had made a 1bn pound ($1.6bn) offer for Activcard, with whom it has been working on product development for the last 18 months. ActivcardÆs president, chairman and chief executive officer Jean-Gerard Galvez was reported as saying that the two companies have had talks about a strategic investment from Schlumberger and a closer relationship between the two firms, but he refuted claims that they had spoken about an acquisition.
