infas Holding

What infas Holding does

infas Holding AG is a Bonn, Germany-based holding company (founded 1959; Frankfurt Stock Exchange ticker IFS) that operates market, opinion, and social research services through a portfolio of wholly-owned subsidiaries: infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft (the core full-service research institute employing ~180 experts and ~1,000 face-to-face interviewers), infas 360 GmbH (data science, geomarketing and customer analytics), infas quo GmbH (strategic market research consulting), and CATI-LAB GmbH (in-house telephone research with 150+ interviewers across Bonn and Nuremberg). The technology stack centres on a full spectrum of empirical data collection instruments — CAPI (face-to-face), CATI (telephone), and online surveys — combined with proprietary statistical analysis and data analytics platforms, including map-based geomarketing software inherited from the 2018 acquisition of Lutum+Tappert (later infas LT, retroactively merged into infas 360 from 1 January 2023). Services are delivered along the entire research value chain from sample design and field data collection through analysis to strategic consulting.

The business model is B2B and predominantly sales-led, with revenue generated through project-based contracts awarded via public tenders and direct enterprise engagements. Customer segments are: (i) German federal ministries and public-sector institutions (notably BMBF/DIW Berlin for the SOEP longitudinal study extended to 2030, the BMI Federal Data Institute, and the Startchancen programme evaluation), (ii) commercial enterprises across automotive, healthcare, media, consumer goods and telecoms served via infas 360 and infas quo, and (iii) academic/research institutions under the Leibniz Association umbrella. Pricing is custom-quoted per project based on methodology, sample size, and scope — no public pricing schedule exists.

Following Ipsos S.A.'s (Paris) voluntary public takeover offer at EUR 6.80 per share announced in August 2024 (cleared by the Bundeskartellamt in December 2024) and the squeeze-out of minority shareholders approved by the Landgericht Frankfurt am Main in March 2026, infas Holding now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ipsos DACH Holding AG (96.76% held prior to squeeze-out). Governance is fully aligned with Ipsos: CEO Dr. Christoph Preuß and CFO Thomas Allerstorfer (both former Ipsos Germany leaders) succeeded long-serving CEO Menno Smid (retired 31 December 2024), and the supervisory board comprises three Ipsos executives (Shane Farrell as chairman, Rupert van Hüllen, Jean-Michel Mabon). FY2025 preliminary consolidated revenue is €45.5M with EBIT of -€1.4M, a ~17.8% revenue decline from the corrected €55.4M FY2024 figure, reflecting customer-side budget constraints and lower interviewer utilisation disclosed in an April 2026 ad-hoc release.

Name

infas Holding

Legal name

infas Holding Aktiengesellschaft

Website

https://infas-holding.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

infas Holding AG is a Bonn-based market, opinion, and social research holding company serving German federal ministries, academic institutions, and commercial clients through subsidiaries offering empirical survey research, geomarketing analytics, and strategic consulting; now wholly owned by Ipsos S.A.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (551114), Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), ESG Data Platforms, Controls & Audit Readiness (Data quality, internal controls) (EUAHAJAN)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Social research
• Opinion polling
• Geomarketing analytics
• Data analytics consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Research Contracts: Project-based research contracts awarded by government bodies (federal ministries, agencies) and publicly funded institutions (e.g., BMBF-funded SOEP). Revenue is non-recurring and tied to project cycles. Key long-term contract: SOEP evaluation extended to 2030.
2. Commercial Market Research: B2B research and consulting services sold to private-sector companies across industries including automotive, healthcare, media, and consumer goods.
3. Data & Analytics Services: Geomarketing, data analytics, and intelligence services from infas 360, as well as specialized research services from infas quo, provided to commercial clients in Germany and internationally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

infas Holding AG operates as a holding company providing market, opinion, and social research services through its subsidiaries. Core offerings include the full research value chain: study and sample design, empirical data collection via face-to-face (CAPI), telephone (CATI), and online survey methodologies, statistical analysis, geomarketing and data analytics, and strategic consulting for public-sector, academic, and commercial clients.

Product overview

infas Holding AG is a holding company with four wholly-owned subsidiaries operating in the market, opinion, and social research sector. The portfolio consists of: infas Institut (the largest subsidiary, a full-service research institute offering face-to-face and multi-method research), infas 360 (data science and geomarketing analytics), infas quo (strategic market research consulting), CATI-LAB (telephone survey operations), infas LT (geomarketing software), and PI Health (health research). Together they provide complete value chain coverage from study design through data collection and analysis to strategic consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft GmbH Largest subsidiary of infas Holding, conducting social, political, regional, educational, labor market, family, health, and mobility research. Offers the complete spectrum of research instruments including sampling, data collection (CAPI, CATI, online), data processing, analysis, and implementation consulting, employing approximately 180 experts and 1,000 face-to-face interviewers. Serves government, academic, and commercial clients in Germany.
• infas 360 GmbH Provides interdisciplinary marketing intelligence using the complete value chain of modern data science, leveraging all publicly and privately available data sources for strategic and operational planning optimization. Geomarketing, customer analytics, and data science services for commercial clients in Germany.
• infas quo GmbH Provides strategic market research consulting for companies across various industries, based on empirical surveys, emphasizing high consulting competence, outstanding data foundations, and individually tailored solutions for commercial clients.
• CATI-LAB GmbH Conducts exclusive telephone surveys (CATI) for the infas Institut on economic, social, and political topics, operating over 150 telephone interviewers at its headquarters in Bonn and a branch in Nuremberg. Provides multilingual telephone research capabilities for European projects.
• infas LT GmbH Geomarketing specialist, formerly Lutum+Tappert DV-Beratung GmbH, providing card-based software solutions primarily used in sales planning and control. Acquired in 2018 and renamed with LT standing for Location Technologies; merged into infas 360 effective 01.01.2023.
• PI Health GmbH Health research company acquired in 2024 that operates exclusively on internal revenue generation within the infas group, providing specialized health research capabilities supporting the infas Institut and other subsidiaries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue grew 30.4% in 2024 (original figure) and 44% in H1 2024 vs H1 2023, demonstrating strong demand for research services.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office)coreOthers · 20 December 2024The Bundeskartellamt granted merger control clearance for Ipsos's takeover of infas Holding on 20 December 2024, enabling the deal to close. An initial phase II review was triggered in November 2024 before the authority ultimately approved the transaction in phase I.
• ADM (Arbeitskreis Deutsche Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2024infas Institut is a member of ADM and was among the first signatories of the ADM Sustainability Code (published April 2024), which covers ecological, social, and economic pillars. The institute committed to developing ethical and sustainable standards and reporting progress via metrics.
• Bundesministerium des Inneren und für Heimat (BMI) – Dateninstitut (Federal Data Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2024infas 360 was commissioned by the Federal Data Institute (hosted at the BMI) to develop an open, multi-dimensional data model for post-Covid research, taking into account EU-wide data economy legislation. The project involves an interdisciplinary team working to coordinate the data ecosystem and serve as a central hub for data expertise and methodological competence.
• Leibniz Association / SOEP (Sozio-Oekonomisches Panel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2024The SOEP is Germany's largest and longest-running longitudinal study of living conditions and societal developments, surveying over 32,000 people in 22,000 households annually. Funded by the BMBF and German federal states. infas has been commissioned to conduct SOEP surveys since 2021; the contract was extended through 2030.
• Forvis Mazars GmbH & Co. KGminorOthersForvis Mazars serves as the appointed external auditor of the infas Holding Group, reviewing and certifying the annual and consolidated financial statements in accordance with applicable German and international auditing standards.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GfK (Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung): Traditionally Germany's largest market research institute and direct competitor in commercial and consumer research. Geomarketing and consumer panels (now part of NielsenIQ) overlap directly with infas 360 and infas quo offerings.
• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence and measurement firm, now also encompassing the GfK Consumer business. Comparable to infas in commercial market research and consumer panel-based analytics, with overlapping automotive and FMCG client bases.
• Kantar: Global market research and consulting firm with a strong presence in Germany (Kantar Public). Directly competes in social and public-sector research, brand tracking, and consumer insights, making it a primary comparator for infas Institut.
• Ipsos S.A. World's third-largest market research firm and parent company of infas following the 2024–2026 takeover. Operates globally across the same research and analytics categories (consumer, social, public sector) and provides the most direct comparable for infas's strategic positioning.

Direct peers

• YouGov: Global online market research and polling firm with a sizable German presence. Comparable in panel-based opinion, brand, and consumer research, competing with infas on commercial and political research engagements.
• Statista: Hamburg-headquartered data and research platform serving both commercial and public-sector clients. Comparable to infas in delivering curated market and consumer data, with growing overlap in government research subscriptions.
• Forsa: German polling and market research institute with strong brand and political research pedigree. Direct competitor for infas Institut in election polling, political research, and government social research mandates.

Emerging players

• Civey: Berlin-based digital market and opinion research firm using online panel methodologies. Competes with infas on public-sector and political research mandates where digital-first delivery offers a price/velocity alternative to CATI/CAPI.
• Bilendi: European online panel and data collection provider serving market research agencies. Comparable to CATI-LAB in providing sample and data collection infrastructure, increasingly competing for digital research workflows.

Regional players

• Norstat: Nordic-headquartered data collection and market research company with strong DACH presence. Comparable in survey operations and sample provision, particularly for European cross-border studies involving infas's Luxembourg branch.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infas-holding

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about infas Holding