AI Fintech Optasia Targets $375 Million in Landmark Johannesburg Stock Exchange Listing

Dubai-based AI-driven fintech Optasia has announced plans to raise approximately 6.3 billion rand (US $375 million) through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), marking one of Africa’s largest fintech listings to date.

The planned listing underscores growing investor confidence in Africa’s digital-finance ecosystem and signals the JSE’s increasing relevance as a funding hub for technology-driven financial services.

Expanding Reach Across Emerging Markets

Optasia, founded in 2012, uses artificial intelligence and alternative data to deliver instant micro-loans, airtime advances, and financial services to unbanked and underbanked populations across emerging markets.
The company currently operates in 38 countries, serves 121 million monthly active users, and processes over 32 million loan transactions daily, often in partnership with mobile-network operators and financial institutions.

Strengthening Africa’s Fintech Capital Markets

By choosing Johannesburg for its debut, Optasia joins a small but growing number of tech firms turning to African capital markets instead of global exchanges for scale financing.
Industry observers say the move could encourage other regional fintechs to pursue listings closer to their core markets, providing investors with direct exposure to Africa’s fast-growing digital-finance sector.

Investor and Market Impact

The planned offering will also test investor appetite for large-scale fintech deals amid tight global liquidity and shifting sentiment toward emerging-market tech.
Analysts view Optasia’s AI-driven credit-scoring model as a competitive advantage in markets with limited formal credit data — a factor that could sustain growth across mobile-money-dominant economies.

SOURCE: AGENCIES