Another private equity firm acquires Threema

Swiss encrypted messaging app Threema has agreed to be acquired by Comitis Capital, a German private equity firm, as of January 11, 2026.

In a press release, Nikolaus Bethlen, Managing Partner of Comitis, cites the ongoing trend of digital sovereignty and regulatory compliance in the European Union as reasons for their acquisition:

“Threema is uniquely positioned to benefit from long-term structural growth trends in secure communication, European data sovereignty and regulatory compliance. We look forward to supporting the business during its next phase of growth and build on a legacy of its trusted brand, leading technology and uncompromising privacy.”

In 2020, Threema's original cofounders sold the app to private equity firm AFINUM Management but had retained leadership and a "significant share" of the company according to financial advisory firm GCA Altium. Notably, they have left the company entirely in 2024.

The deal with Comitis Capital appears to be a secondary buyout, a transaction in which one private equity firm sells a company to another.

On Mastodon, Threema stresses that their management team, corporate mission, and core values will not change during the transition. Despite this, it is unclear whether Comitis Capital will implement significant changes in the near future.

Unlike similar encrypted messengers like Signal, Threema is a paid service aimed at both enterprise and consumer usage cases. The company claims they host more than 12 million total users worldwide and 3 million enterprise users on Threema Work.

The app was closed-source until its 2020 acquisition by AFINUM Management, in which the private equity firm allowed the move according to an employee involved in the transaction in an advisory capacity.