Across the world, millions of people remain outside the formal financial system. The World Bank estimates that more than 1.4-billion adults are still unbanked, most of them in emerging economies.
Yet, as digital technologies advance and mobile connectivity deepens, a quiet revolution is transforming how people access and use financial services. According to the 2025 Global Findex Database, mobile money accounts have been the main driver of financial inclusion in low- and middle-income countries over the past decade, reshaping the financial landscape, providing a lifeline for millions and unlocking new pathways for economic growth.
To have a better picture of what this means, just last year more than $1.1-trillion (R19-trillion) — Sub-Saharan Africa alone was responsible for two-thirds of this — flowed through mobile money platforms, which enable individuals and small businesses to overcome infrastructure constraints, support their families and grow their businesses.
According to the GSM Association’s 2025 State of the Industry Report, mobile money contributed about $720bn to the global GDP of countries with the service in 2023 (based on data collected between 2013 and 2023) and added roughly 4.5% to Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic output.
These figures represent more than transactions; they represent access to opportunity, dignity and participation in a global economy increasingly defined by data. However, servicing this need is not just an economic opportunity, it is a moral imperative.
There is a simple lesson to be learnt from these various datasets: when people gain access to the right tools, economies grow, and societies prosper. But it doesn’t end there. Inclusion is more than access; it is about trust, relevance and making sure that in the long term, everyone participates and benefits in the economies they live and work in.
To make inclusion meaningful, technology must build confidence, not complexity. It must help people withstand economic shocks, not merely enable short-term transactions. It must enable individuals to continue to contribute meaningfully to the growth of their economies and to their own betterment. In my experience, inclusion also means sustainability — ensuring that digital finance not only reaches people but remains affordable, secure, and anchored in real economic value.
Inclusion also means sustainability — ensuring that digital finance not only reaches people but remains affordable, secure, and anchored in real economic value
At Optasia, a digital finance platform, we have harnessed AI to create an ecosystem that enables banks to reach the under- or unbanked through mobile operators by assessing creditworthiness in ways that traditional systems cannot. Our AI platform analyses alternative data sources to extend financial services to those who have long been left behind. With 121-million monthly active users and access to more than 860-million mobile subscribers across 38 countries, we operate at a global scale — but with a deeply local impact and a personal purpose: to unlock opportunity for people who have never had the chance to be seen by the formal financial system. Every transaction, every repayment, and every digital interaction enhances our credit-decision engine’s predictive power, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of smarter lending, broader reach and deeper inclusion.
On Tuesday, Optasia will begin a new chapter as we debut on the JSE. This listing is a statement of confidence in the power of technology to drive inclusion and in the strength of emerging markets. For us, this step reflects years of disciplined execution, trust built with our partners, and a belief that sustainable growth must go hand in hand with social impact.
Going public strengthens our ability to scale sustainably, forge new partnerships and invest further in the AI innovation that underpins our growth. It is also our commitment to transparency, accountability and long-term impact – all principles that are as essential to financial inclusion as they are to any listed company.
The future of financial inclusion will not be defined by transactions but by transformation. It will be defined by intelligent, adaptable, data-driven finance that delivers personalised services at scale. To reach the next billion customers, the industry must design systems that are inclusive from the ground up and that protect consumers and their data. This means embracing innovation responsibly, collaborating across sectors, and ensuring that the benefits of AI and data reach those who need them most. Optasia’s vision is to enable financial empowerment for a more inclusive world.
The time for intelligent, inclusive finance is now. And as I see every day in the markets we serve, that future has already begun.
- Anglada is CEO of Optasia
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