WISeKey and DigiCert execute a letter of intent regarding the sale and purchase of the QuoVadis SSL and PKI business

Geneva – October 31, 2018 – WISeKey International Holding Ltd (SIX: WIHN) (OTCQX: WIKYY), a leading Swiss cybersecurity and IoT company, announced today that it has executed a non-binding letter of intent with DigiCert, the global leader of SSL, IoT and other PKI solutions, to acquire the QuoVadis SSL and PKI businesses. The consideration payable by DigiCert to WISeKey will be determined after further due diligence.

If the transaction closes, DigiCert intends to invest and develop the current QuoVadis brand and business to expand operations as an EU Qualified Trusted Service Provider. Existing QuoVadis customers can expect the same trusted team to provide eiDAS compliant services including qualified certificates, qualified time stamping, QWACs and signing services. DigiCert will also continue to lead and invest in privacy, including GDPR compliance and European preferred algorithms and services.

WISeKey intends to retain certain QuoVadis assets, in particular the QuoVadis Data Center and Cloud services in Bermuda and the ISTANA Platform used to secure the connected cars industry. WISeKey and DigiCert are also considering entering into a partnership to explore common opportunities in the IoT market, using their combined products to enhance mutual offerings and better serve customer needs. 

About DigiCert

DigiCert is the global leader of scalable SSL and PKI solutions for a connected world. The most innovative companies, including over 90% of the Global 2000, choose DigiCert for its expertise in identity and encryption for web servers and Internet of Things devices. DigiCert supports SSL/TLS and other digital certificates for PKI deployments at any scale through its certificate lifecycle management platform, CertCentral®. DigiCert has been recognized with dozens of awards for its enterprise-grade management platform, fast and knowledgeable customer support, and market-leading growth.

DigiCert is majority owned by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo.  DigiCert recently completed the carve-out of the SSL and PKI assets from Symantec and the Verizon CA business prior to Symantec. Thoma Bravo has broad carve-out transaction experience acquiring over 10 platform companies that were carved out from other companies.

About Thoma Bravo
Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity investment firm that has been providing equity and strategic support to experienced management teams building growing companies for over 35 years.  The firm pioneered the concept of “industry consolidation,” or “buy-and-build” investing for private equity, which seeks to create value through the strategic use of acquisitions to accelerate business growth.  Through a series of private equity funds, Thoma Bravo currently manages approximately $20 billion of equity capital today.  As seasoned software and tech-enabled services investors, they have led 60 total platform acquisitions in technology over the last 15 years as well as an additional 125 add-on acquisitions, representing approximately $49.0 billion in value. Given DigiCert’s and Thoma Bravo’s expertise in the space and experience consummating add-on transactions, we provide a high certainty of close.

About WISeKey
WISeKey (SIX: WIHN) (OTCQX: WIKYY), is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems with a patented process. WISeKey’s Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (“RoT”) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com.

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Disclaimer:
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.