Linklaters advises the underwriters on the IPO of Optasia, South Africa’s largest IPO in 2025

Linklaters has advised the underwriters on Optasia’s landmark ZAR 6.5 billion initial public offering (IPO) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

Optasia, one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence-powered financial technology platforms, has completed both the JSE’s largest listing so far this year and the biggest fintech IPO across Europe, the Middle East and Africa since 2021, signalling renewed momentum in the South African IPO market.

Linklaters has been at the forefront of advising on the largest IPOs and Equity Capital Markets (ECM) transactions in South Africa in recent years, including advising the underwriters on the R 8.5 billion Boxer IPO in 2024, the largest IPO on the JSE since 2017. The firm also advised on the majority of all major JSE listings for the last 10 years.

Mike Bienenfeld, Corporate Partner at Linklaters, commented:

“Optasia’s milestone IPO is a strong indicator of the JSE’s renewed momentum. We are proud to have been a part of so many transformative ECM transactions in South Africa over the last 10 years, and we’re looking forward to the strong pipeline to come.”

The cross-border team was led by Corporate Partner Mike Bienenfeld, Counsel Asad Ahmed and Associate Megan Gallagher. They were supported Corporate, Capital Markets and Tax teams across the U.K. and U.S.