Optasia Shifts Toward Microfinance for Small Businesses
Market Expansion Beyond Airtime Credits
In a report published by techcabal.com, the fintech firm Optasia has announced a significant shift in its business model. One year after its initial public offering on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in November 2025, the company revealed that it is moving its focus away from simple airtime advances toward broader microfinance services. This change comes as the business reports strong financial performance, with revenues reaching $270 million in the first nine months of 2026, representing a 45% increase compared to the previous year.
Key Insights on Optasia’s Growth
Optasia’s business originated by offering mobile subscribers small credit advances for airtime when they lacked funds to top up their phones. While this established the company, leadership now views airtime credit as merely a convenience product. During an interview with techcabal.com, CEO Salvador Anglada explained that the company is now prioritizing the unmet borrowing needs of both individual consumers and small-scale merchants who have historically been ignored by conventional banks.
The shift is already evident in the company's income streams. Out of the $270 million generated in the first nine months of 2026, roughly $194 million—or 72% of total revenue—came from microfinance products, while airtime credit contributed $75 million. The firm aims for microfinance to account for over 80% of its total revenue moving forward.
To qualify applicants who lack formal documentation like payslips or land titles, Optasia uses artificial intelligence to analyze alternative data. The platform tracks behavioral patterns and mobile transaction histories, creating over 100,000 unique data features for each individual to assess creditworthiness. This approach aims to determine how much a customer can borrow and repay safely without falling into debt traps. Markets including Ghana, Uganda, and Zambia are currently seeing increased demand for these services as traditional lenders continue to maintain strict, asset-based requirements that exclude the informal sector.
What This Means for You
For shop and supermarket owners in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, this shift represents a potential new avenue for accessing working capital. Many small business owners struggle because they cannot provide the formal financial history, property collateral, or monthly payslips that large commercial banks demand. Because these new lending models use your actual transaction history—such as how you use your mobile money account or your patterns of buying stock—you may soon find it easier to secure loans to restock your shelves or expand your floor space without needing traditional security.
However, the convenience of digital borrowing comes with responsibility. Because these loans are often processed quickly and based on AI assessments, it is easy to over-borrow. Always ensure that the cost of the credit fits comfortably within your daily or weekly profit margins so that you do not face repayment issues later.
What to Do Now
- Digitize your records: Ensure your sales and stock purchases are tracked through mobile money or digital tools, as these data points are increasingly used by lenders to judge your business health.
- Audit your cash flow: Before applying for any new micro-loan, calculate exactly how much extra profit the loan will generate to ensure the repayments remain affordable.
- Compare lending options: As more providers enter the microfinance space, look for transparent interest rates and clear terms before committing to any digital credit agreement.
- Formalize your operations: Even if you do not have traditional collateral, keeping clean digital records of your daily earnings will improve your risk profile for modern fintech lenders.