Swiss Post has acquired a majority shareholding in the software company Unblu in an effort to improve its competencies in the secure transfer of information within the digital world.
Unblu offers a platform that enables companies to exchange information directly and securely with their customers and to send sensitive information securely as well. This platform is primarily used by international financial and insurance service providers to assist in the transition from the physical to the digital world. Specifically, this means Unblu’s platform can be integrated into existing services, such as the chat function used by Swiss Post customer service. This ensures customers can ask questions directly via chat and receive an answer immediately, without having to make a telephone call.
The Basel-based company has subsidiaries in Frankfurt, Germany; Sofia, Bulgaria, London, UK; New York, USA; and Victoria, Canada. All these holdings will be managed as an independent subsidiary and will continue to operate as an autonomous company after the majority investment. The current staff at Unblu (around 100 employees) are being retained and have been informed of the change in ownership.
By acquiring a majority stake, Swiss Post expects to boost its competencies in the secure transfer of information within the digital world. The company made this digital move due to customers’ increasing reliance on email or messenger services. With the acquisition, Swiss Post aims to help Swiss companies make their own digital transition and to provide added value via this additional service. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price of the majority shareholding.
“Both the entire team and I are excited to become part of Swiss Post,” said Luc Haldimann, founder and CEO of Unblu. “We share the values that have made Swiss Post one of the world’s most admired service organizations. Throughout the process, we have discovered many synergies, and we are convinced that together we will achieve our vision to become the world’s leading conversational platform in the financial sector and beyond.”
Nicole Burth, head of communication services at Swiss Post, explained, “By acquiring Unblu, we’re continuing our story in the digital world, but we’re also doing what has been part of Swiss Post’s DNA since the very beginning: we’re ensuring that information is transported in a confidential, secure manner. As a customer, we believe in Unblu, too: both PostFinance and Swiss Post are already using the platform successfully within their customer service teams.”
