The company, partly owned by Ethos Capital, said it will raise around 1.3 billion rand via an initial public offering (IPO) and an additional 5 billion rand or more through a private placement of shares by existing investors.
Optasia, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver mobile-based financial services, said the listing will help accelerate its expansion and enhance its global profile.
“An IPO will allow us to accelerate our growth, raise our visibility as a leading global fintech and continue innovating to expand financial opportunity where it is needed most,” said CEO Salvador Anglada in a statement.
Founded in 2012, Optasia operates in 38 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, offering services such as micro-lending, airtime credit, and digital financial access to consumers often excluded from traditional banking systems. The company says it serves around 121 million monthly active users and processes over 32 million loan transactions per day.
Its business model relies on partnerships with major telecommunications operators, including MTN, Vodacom, and Airtel, which help distribute its financial products directly through mobile networks — a key advantage in regions with large unbanked populations.
The planned listing comes as South Africa’s stock exchange seeks to attract more technology and fintech firms to diversify its listings base, amid subdued capital market activity in recent years.
Optasia’s IPO will also test investor appetite for African and emerging-market fintechs, particularly those focused on AI-driven financial inclusion — a segment attracting growing global attention.