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AI fintech Optasia to raise $375 million in Johannesburg listing

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AI-driven financial technology company Optasia announced plans to raise up to 6.3 billion rand ($375 million) through a listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The Dubai-based firm said the funds would come from a mix of new shares and a private placement of existing ones.

Optasia, which operates in 38 countries, will raise 1.3 billion rand in its initial public offering and an additional 5 billion rand through existing shareholders. The company is partly owned by Ethos Capital.

CEO Salvador Anglada said the IPO will help Optasia scale operations and “expand financial opportunity where it is needed most.” The fintech provides AI-powered micro-loans and mobile airtime credit to unbanked individuals, processing more than 32 million daily transactions for about 121 million users.

Founded in 2012, Optasia focuses on Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, working with telecom partners such as MTN, Vodacom, and Airtel.

Yahoo Nears $1.4 Billion Deal to Sell AOL to Italy’s Bending Spoons

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Yahoo is close to finalizing a deal to sell its AOL unit to Italian technology company Bending Spoons for about $1.4 billion, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The sale would mark the latest chapter in the decline — and reinvention — of one of the internet’s earliest giants.

The Milan-based app developer is in advanced negotiations to purchase AOL, the sources said, but cautioned that no final agreement has been signed, and the talks could still collapse.

Yahoo, owned by Apollo Global Management, did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, while both Bending Spoons and Apollo declined to discuss the ongoing talks. Apollo acquired a 90% stake in Yahoo from Verizon in 2021 in a $5 billion deal.

FROM INTERNET ICON TO REVAMP OPPORTUNITY

Once the dominant force of the early internet, AOL was synonymous with the “You’ve Got Mail” era and played a defining role in the online revolution of the late 1990s. Its 2000 merger with Time Warner, then the largest corporate deal in history, ended in massive losses and regulatory scrutiny — symbolizing the collapse of the first dot-com boom.

A successful sale to Bending Spoons would be a fresh start for the AOL brand, adding its advertising and subscription-based services — including LifeLock, LastPass, and McAfee Multi Access — to the Italian company’s fast-expanding portfolio.

A source familiar with AOL’s recent performance said the company has seen 20% year-over-year website traffic growth, driven primarily by users aged 25 to 54, a shift from its traditionally older demographic. The rise is attributed to new content verticals such as Health, Science & Tech, Home & Garden, and True Crime.

BENDING SPOONS: EUROPE’S RISING TECH STAR

Founded in 2013 by Luca Ferrari, Bending Spoons has become one of Europe’s most prominent tech firms, known for acquiring struggling digital platforms and modernizing them. Its apps now attract 300 million monthly users worldwide.

The company was valued at $2.55 billion after a February 2024 funding round, earning it “unicorn” status — a rarity in Italy’s tech ecosystem.

Bending Spoons has recently been on an acquisition spree, purchasing WeTransfer earlier this year and agreeing to take Vimeo private for $1.38 billion in what is currently its largest deal.

Adding AOL’s global reach would further bolster the company’s ambitions and position it as a potential IPO candidate in the United States. CEO Luca Ferrari previously told Reuters that while no immediate plans exist for a public listing, the firm is “working to be ready” and looking to expand beyond Europe.

If completed, the $1.4 billion AOL acquisition would cement Bending Spoons’ role as a new European powerhouse reviving legacy internet brands for the AI and mobile era.

AI Analytics Firm Dataiku Taps Banks for 2026 U.S. IPO Plans

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Artificial intelligence and data analytics startup Dataiku has selected a group of major investment banks, including Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, to lead its long-anticipated initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The New York-based company held an internal meeting on Wednesday to officially kick off IPO preparations, with a potential listing targeted for the first half of 2026, the sources said. However, they noted that timing and deal size remain under discussion and could shift depending on market conditions.

Dataiku, founded in 2013, develops software platforms that help enterprises build, test, and deploy AI-driven analytics applications. The company’s tools are used by more than 700 organizations worldwide, including major corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, General Electric, and BNP Paribas.

In January 2025, Dataiku said it had surpassed $300 million in annualized recurring revenue (ARR) — a key milestone signaling strong customer retention and subscription growth.

The company was last valued at $3.7 billion following a $200 million Series F funding round in December 2022, led by Wellington Management with participation from existing backers.

An IPO would mark a major step for Dataiku, placing it among a growing wave of AI and software firms looking to capitalize on investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. According to Dealogic, 97 companies went public in the third quarter of this year, raising over $24 billion, marking the busiest period for listings since late 2021.

AI-related firms such as Klarna, Figma, and Anthropic have driven renewed momentum in technology listings as markets recover from a two-year IPO drought.

Representatives for Dataiku and Morgan Stanley declined to comment, while Citigroup did not respond to requests for comment.

Analysts say a successful Dataiku listing could further validate investor appetite for AI infrastructure and enterprise analytics companies, which form a critical layer beneath high-profile players like OpenAI and Nvidia.

“Dataiku sits in a sweet spot between enterprise analytics and applied AI,” said one venture capital analyst. “A well-timed IPO could position it as one of the most important public players in AI software beyond model developers.”

If market conditions remain favorable, Dataiku’s IPO could become one of the largest AI software listings of 2026, solidifying its role as a major competitor in the fast-growing enterprise data intelligence market.