Artificial intelligence (AI)-led fintech Optasia has reported strong financial results for 2025, delivering revenue growth of 76% in its first full year after listing and exceeding guidance provided during its initial public offering (IPO).
Optasia listed on the JSE in November last year, raising about R6.5 billion through its IPO and debuting on the exchange’s Main Board under the ticker OPA.
The listing, which valued the company at roughly R23.5 billion at the time, was aimed at funding Optasia’s global expansion as it scales its AI-powered platform that enables telecom operators and financial institutions to offer digital credit and other financial services to underserved consumers across emerging markets.
In its financial results, the company says the performance highlights its profitability, resilience and ability to scale its artificial intelligence-driven financial services platform across emerging markets.
Revenue for the year reached $265 million (R4.4 billion), up 76% year-on-year, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation climbed 52% to $115 million (R1.9 billion), with margins remaining strong at 43.2%.
Normalised net income increased 57% to $57.8 million (R973 million), reflecting continued growth in the firm’s digital lending and financial services products.
Optasia also reported a 44% increase in distributed value to $5.5 billion (R92 billion), as the company expanded its reach through partnerships with telecom operators and financial institutions.
Revenue mix shift
The company’s take rate rose to 4.8%, which Optasia attributes to a shift in its revenue mix towards higher-value services, particularly its Micro Finance Solutions products that are becoming the primary driver of revenue.
Despite the rapid expansion, default rates remained low at 1.2%, underscoring what the company described as the effectiveness of its AI-driven credit decisioning and disciplined risk management framework.
Operationally, Optasia says its platform continues to grow rapidly, with the total number of users rising 43% year-on-year to more than 432 million.
The fintech firm also launched eight new deployments in 2025, further expanding its presence in emerging markets and strengthening partnerships with mobile network operators and financial institutions.
According to the company, the growth of its platform is enabling broader access to responsible digital financial services, particularly for underserved individuals who traditionally have limited access to formal banking and credit products.
Salvador Anglada, Optasia’s CEO, comments: “2025 was a transformative year for Optasia. We successfully completed our category-defining listing on the JSE in November and welcomed FirstRand as a strategic shareholder. These milestones provide a strong validation of our operating model and growth trajectory and significantly enhance our visibility and credibility as a leading global fintech.
“Our exceptional operational and financial performance in 2025, together with the continued growth in market share, customer adoption rates and recognition of our innovative solutions underscores the success of our strategy.
“Entering 2026 from this position of strength, we are confident in our ability to deliver robust revenue and earnings growth primarily through further expansion in mobile financial services. We remain laser-focused on pursuing disciplined, responsible scaling, innovation, and geographic reach to drive long-term sustainable value whilst delivering on our vision to enable responsible financial empowerment for a more inclusive world.”
M&A activity
Optasia announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Finergi Global for an initial upfront consideration of $30 million, with a contingent deferred cash consideration of $10 million, payable upon meeting defined performance milestones.
It notes that Finergi is a technology company that uses patented technology to provide real-time credit access through prepaid electricity systems, enabling it to transform essential services into a platform for financial inclusion.
According to the company, Finergi has successfully built a scalable platform and secured initial contracts that validate its product and market fit.
With patents secured in 24 countries and applications filed in four additional jurisdictions, it points out that Finergi’s proprietary IP positions it as a first mover in utilities credit, creating a high-margin, direct-to-consumer platform with multiple cross-sell opportunities.
Underpinned by a large and growing addressable market for electricity credit advances, Optasia believes that Finergi is positioned to expand rapidly over the next 12 months, leveraging its product offering and existing client pipeline of utility providers, governments, and financial service partners to address the structural short-term credit gap.
“The acquisition allows Optasia to participate in this anticipated growth from an early stage in a market where scale and depth of integration create long-term defensibility and platform optionality,” says the firm.
“This transaction marks an important first step for Optasia in advancing on its strategic plan to expand through new ecosystems beyond telcos to deliver financial services to the world’s underbanked.”
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