Chinese language-backed African fintech startup OPay nears $3 billion valuation

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The valuation of OPay, considered one of Africa’s largest fintech startups working in Nigeria and Egypt, has risen to just about $3 billion, in accordance with Opera, the Chinese language-owned Norwegian expertise firm that was considered one of its early buyers.

In a securities submitting to the US SEC, Opera mentioned the revised valuation follows a rise in its holding from 6.4% to 9.3% final yr and within the fintech’s efficiency metrics, notably a four-fold improve in buyer base in 2023. Opera mentioned it expects OPay’s income to develop at an annualized fee of 35% between 2023 and 2030.

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OPay’s merchandise in Nigeria, its largest market, are a checking account for quicker on-line cash transfers than conventional banks present, and a point-of-sale machine that permits distributors to just accept card funds and supply money withdrawals to prospects. Nigeria’s botched foreign money redesign final yr accelerated OPay’s growth as a serious participant within the nation’s monetary providers ecosystem.

The fintech big was OPay was based by Chinese language billionaire Zhou Yahui and valued at $2 billion in 2021 when it raised $400 million in a spherical led by SoftBank, with the participation of buyers together with Sequoia Capital China. It has remained considered one of Africa’s most beneficial startups within the years since, drawing nearer to Flutterwave’s February 2022 valuation of $3 billion. It comes at a time when some lofty valuations of African-based startups are struggling to be maintained as a result of slowdown in enterprise funding over the past yr.

Opera’s elevated stake in OPay got here through a transaction to purchase the vast majority of the Asian enterprise of Nanobank, a lender that Opera partly owned. Opera had held its OPay shares as “on the market” since 2021 till final December, signaling a change in notion of OPay’s prospects, together with larger risk of an preliminary public providing within the close to future.