Optasia
AI credit scoring that lets mobile operators lend airtime and small loans to the unbanked
Based in Dubai, founded 2012
The numbers
$1.4bnValuation
2012Founded
Why it matters
Optasia uses an AI decisioning platform to let mobile network operators, wallet providers and financial institutions extend airtime advances and microloans to customers with no bank account or credit file. It operates in 38 countries and processes over 120 million credit decisions a month. Its November 2025 Johannesburg listing raised R6.5 billion and was South Africa's largest fintech listing since 2018.
Backed by
Founders
On Founding MENA
Optasia: Bassim Haidar
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