Optasia, an artificial intelligence-powered financial-technology firm operating across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, has attracted a 277 million US dollars pre-IPO investment from South Africa’s FirstRand Ltd., Bloomberg reported. The deal highlights growing global interest in emerging-market fintechs leveraging AI.

Founded in 2012 by Nigerian-Lebanese entrepreneur Bassim Haidar, Optasia plans to sell a total of 1.25 billion shares in its upcoming initial public offering, with book-building expected to close on October 30. The company aims to capitalise on rising investor demand for AI-driven financial services in fast-growing regions.

Seven existing investors sold roughly 251.4 million shares to FirstRand, Africa’s largest bank by market value, at 19 rand each. The sale raised 4.78 billion rand and values the company at approximately 24 billion rand. CEO Salvador Anglada said the final valuation will be confirmed after the IPO, while FirstRand declined to comment.

The pre-IPO stake underscores the increasing appetite for AI fintech platforms in emerging markets, offering investors exposure to companies combining technology with digital financial services across multiple regions.