Optasia, a global provider of AI-driven financial technology, has announced plans to list on the Prime Segment of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Main Board, with an aim to raise ZAR 6.3 billion ($375 million) through a combination of new and existing share sales.
According to the disclosure on the JSE’s SENS platform on Wednesday, the company plans to raise ZAR 1.3 billion ($75.81 million) by selling new shares in an initial public offering (IPO), while existing shareholders will sell shares valued at ZAR 5.0 billion ($291.58 million). Additionally, a 15% overallotment option, consisting entirely of secondary shares, will be available.
The company stated that a JSE listing will increase the visibility and liquidity of its shares, while also providing access to a significant pool of institutional capital in Africa’s most developed exchange.
The Dubai-based fintech explained that the proceeds from the primary issuance will be used to scale its operations, fund organic growth opportunities, pursue potential acquisitions, and strengthen its balance sheet. The secondary offering, on the other hand, will allow early investors to liquidate part of their holdings and help broaden the company’s shareholder base.
Optasia CEO Salvador Anglada described the listing as a pivotal milestone for the British Virgin Islands-incorporated company. He highlighted that the company’s vision is to drive financial inclusion across emerging markets by leveraging its AI-powered technology to provide credit and financial services to millions of underserved people.
“Today marks an important milestone for Optasia as we take a crucial step toward becoming a publicly listed company. From a single-country operation to one of the world’s largest fintechs of its kind, we’ve built a profitable, capital-light business that has continued to scale through the expansion of our geographical footprint,” Anglada said.
He also noted the significance of the South African market, where Optasia already does between 10% and 15% of its business.
Founded more than a decade ago by Nigerian-born Lebanese entrepreneur Bassim Haidar, Optasia uses advanced analytics to offer microloans, airtime advances, and other digital credit services to mobile network customers in emerging markets. The company operates in 38 countries, serving around 121 million monthly active users and facilitating more than 32 million loan transactions daily.
Optasia has demonstrated strong financial performance in recent years. For the year ending December 31, 2024, the company reported $151.2 million in revenue and $75.1 million in adjusted EBITDA, achieving compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of 10.4% and 13.1%, respectively, between 2022 and 2024.
In the first half of 2025, revenue surged by over 90% year-on-year to $117.2 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose by 91.3% to $53.8 million, underscoring the company’s accelerating profitability. Since its inception, Optasia has consistently generated positive cash flow without raising any primary capital.
The planned JSE listing will position Optasia in the consumer-lending segment of the exchange’s finance and credit services category, where it will trade under the ticker symbol OPA. Standard Bank of South Africa will act as the transaction sponsor, joint global coordinator, and stabilization manager, with Investec and Jarrett Geldenhuys serving as bookrunners. Legal advice will be provided by Webber Wentzel, Milbank, Bowmans, and Linklaters.
