BIO-key International (BKYI) stock gained 83% in pre-market trading to $3.10, with volume reaching nearly 19 million shares, after the company announced a partnership with Al Majris Group to expand identity security services across the Arabian Gulf region.
What happened
BIO-key announced on September 29, 2026, via GlobeNewswire that it had partnered with Al Majris Group, a company operating across multiple business sectors in the Arabian Gulf region. The partnership aims to expand the deployment of BIO-key's biometric identity and enterprise-ready identity access management solutions throughout the Middle Eastern market.
Why the stock moved
The partnership announcement, published by GlobeNewswire on September 29 at 07:30 ET, drove the pre-market surge as investors responded to BIO-key's expansion into the Arabian Gulf region. Al Majris Group brings established regional business relationships that could accelerate BIO-key's footprint in a market where biometric security demand is growing. The deal follows a pattern of recent BIO-key partnerships, including a recent FIDO Alliance full certification for passkey authentication and a partnership with TD SYNNEX Public Sector for U.S. government solutions.
The numbers
The pre-market session produced the following results for BKYI:
- Session price: $3.10
- Previous close: $1.69
- Session change: +83.43%
- Session volume: 18,960,602 shares
- Market cap: $33.59 million
BIO-key reported in its 2025 annual results (Form 10-K, filed June 12, 2026) that it substantially improved its cash position and expected strong growth in 2026. The company filed its Q2 2026 10-Q on August 13, 2026.
What to watch
Investors should monitor whether the Al Majris Group partnership generates measurable revenue for BIO-key in coming quarters. The company also recently received FIDO Alliance full certification for its passkey authentication platform, positioning it to serve emerging markets including agentic AI authenticated controls. BKYI has faced a Nasdaq compliance notice related to delayed Form 10-K filing, which remains an ongoing consideration for investors.