AI fintech Optasia aims to raise $375 million in South African listing

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -Optasia, a fintech company partly owned by Ethos Capital, said on Wednesday it planned to list on South Africa's Johannesburg Stock Exchange and raise up to 6.3 billion rand ($375 million) by selling a combination of new and existing shares. The company, which operates AI-powered financial services in 38 countries, will raise about 1.3 billion rand in an initial public offering and also hold a private placement of at least 5 billion rand for existing shareholders, it said in a statement. "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," CEO Salvador Anglada said. Optasia, headquartered in Dubai, provides micro-financing and mobile phone airtime credit to people who often don't have traditional bank accounts, primarily in emerging markets. The company said it had around 121 million monthly active users and processed over 32 million loan transactions daily. It was founded in 2012 and operates mostly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Its distribution partners include South African mobile operators MTN, Vodacom and Airtel ($1 = 17.2488 rand) (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla Editing by Mark Potter)

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