As more African banks and telcos seek a slice of the rapidly growing fintech pie, Standard Bank today announced a $330 million syndicated refinancing for Optasia, a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)-listed fintech.
According to Standard Bank, the deal advances the company's goal of supporting African growth.
It went on to say by partnering with Optasia at this stage of its growth journey, the bank is helping to build a more inclusive, resilient and digitally enabled financial ecosystem – one that supports entrepreneurship, broadens access to finance and contributes to long‑term economic development across emerging markets.
“As Africa’s fintech landscape continues to evolve, collaborations of this nature signal a growing alignment between capital providers and technology‑driven businesses shaping the future of finance on the continent,” says Hulisani Manyatshe, vice president, structured capital at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
Optasia is an AI‑led solutions company, which had to the largest fintech IPO on the JSE in 2025.
Standard Bank acted as a key partner and investor in Optasia leading up to its listing on the JSE in November 2025. The bank served as a joint global coordinator, transaction sponsor, and equity investor for Optasia's IPO.
Now, Africa’s largest bank by assets pointed out that it continues to support Optasia, saying through a joint underwrite and participation in the syndicated refinancing and upsizing of the fintech company’s term facilities of $180 million and bank guarantees of $150 million.
The bank acted as joint mandated lead arranger and underwriter for the facilities.
Standard bank went on to say as Africa’s fintech sector continues to grow and scale, access to flexible, long‑term capital has become a defining factor in sustaining the growth momentum.
According to analysts, African fintech is expected to grow significantly in 2026, transitioning from a phase of "growth at all costs" to one focused on profitability, sustainable unit economics, and infrastructure development.
Jameel Nagdee, executive vice president, structured capital at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking, comments on the refinancing of the fintech company: “This landmark transaction reflects Standard Bank’s continued commitment to supporting high‑growth, technology‑enabled businesses by delivering tailored funding solutions that evolve alongside client ambition.”
He adds: “It also marks a deepening of the bank’s long‑standing relationship with Optasia, reinforcing our credentials as an able partner interested in the long-term relationship with clients across multiple funding cycles as they scale across Africa and beyond.”
In a statement, the bank notes that as fintech companies transition from early growth to continental scale, funding structures must keep pace with increasingly complex operational and geographic demands.
“Through this syndication, Standard Bank worked with Optasia to enhance funding certainty, expand capacity and provide long‑term flexibility,” says the bank.
According to the statement, the solution supports Optasia’s accelerated growth trajectory, enabling the business to continue expanding its platform and footprint while maintaining the agility required of a data‑driven, technology‑led organisation.
"According to BDO’s report on fintechs in Africa, the continent’s Fintech market led by South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Kenya is projected to grow to US $65 billion in 2030. We are optimistic about the future of Optasia and look forward to its next thrilling stage of expansion," says Salvador Anglada, CEO of Optasia.
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