Shares in AI-led fintech outfit Optasia surged more than 6% on Thursday, its biggest rally since listing on the JSE in November, as the group posted an upbeat trading update for the six months to end-June.The regulator filing showed the group’s microfinancing solutions gained further traction in the period, with the proposition now accounting for 72% of the company’s revenues, cementing its place as a key income driver.The group said it expects its revenue to be at least 50% higher when it reports its interim results in September and by as much as 60% after good growth in Ghana, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Republic of Congo. (Dorothy Kgosi) It said the robust growth in these markets helped it offset the impact of the temporary airtime credit services (ACS) disruption in Nigeria after coming into conflict with new laws regarding nontraditional lending in Africa’s most populous nation.The services were resumed last week after a two-month hiatus. Optasia said its interim performance demonstrates the resilience of its platform and the strength of its diversified operating model.“During the period, the group further executed on its strategy through deeper partner engagement, broader product coverage and continued geographic expansion,” the company said.The group launched three new deployments expanding into two new geographies — Gabon and South Sudan — while the group also successfully launched its first merchant lending proposition, which will be rolled out across its existing footprint.“Based on trading to date, the company is pleased to reaffirm its FY2026 guidance of revenue and adjusted ebitda growth in excess of 30% for the financial year ending December 31 2026.”South Africa’s largest bank by market value, FirstRand, has bought into Optasia’s growth story. FirstRand, which initially invested nearly R5bn buying up a 20% stake in the fintech group, in March upped its stake in Optasia to 26.1%. Established in 2012, Optasia has grown into a significant banking proposition, distributing more than $15m in credit daily, processing 1.5-billion credit decisions monthly and operating across 38 countries.Mobile financial services have become entrenched in Africa, with Sub-Saharan Africa having emerged as the global leader in mobile money adoption.One of the biggest success stories to come out of the continent is M-Pesa, largely regarded as Africa’s “super app”.The company, established as a joint venture between Safaricom and Vodacom, has grown to be one of Africa’s biggest fintech success stories, with more than 60-million clients and processing about $1bn a day in transactions.This is not an opportunity lost to Optasia, with the convergence of telecoms and financial services reshaping how credit, payments and financial inclusion are delivered.The group said it had, in preparation for its initial public offering, commissioned independent market research from Altman Solon to assess the structural drivers supporting demand for mobile-first credit solutions across representative emerging markets.After gaining as much as 16% in intraday trade, Optasia’s shares closed 6.46% higher at R15.99.