At Semafor’s Next 3 Billion Tour in Johannesburg on November 18, one theme came through clearly: the next era of financial inclusion will be shaped by intelligent infrastructure, ecosystem partnerships, and localized, focused strategies.
During the panel “From Buzz to Billions: Can Fintech Drive Real Inclusion?”, Optasia Group CEO Salvador Anglada focused on three key areas that everyone working across emerging markets, fintech, or digital financial services should be paying attention to right now.
1. AI has moved from being an innovation experiment to an operational backbone for financial access.
As Salvador noted, Optasia now uses 5,000+ data points and 1,500 AI-driven credit models to decide creditworthiness in just 30 seconds.
For the 1.7 billion people that are still unbanked globally, this kind of alternative data and automated decisioning is a must for empowerment.
AI is unlocking participation for millions who have been excluded from traditional financial systems. The next leap in inclusion will come from AI systems that can assess, decide, and deliver credit at scale, reliably and responsibly.
2. Ecosystems will drive the next wave
Inclusion at true scale requires the combined strength of telcos, mobile money providers, super apps, and digital banks.
As Salvador put it in context during the panel: “To create financial inclusion, it is crucial to build partnerships, create ecosystems, and deliver credit at scale.”
The most powerful models marry AI with high-trust distribution networks. When strong partnerships and the right operational ecosystems come together, financial empowerment can reach new heights—and new populations.
3. The future belongs to those who think globally, but operate locally
Optasia’s ambition is to reach an additional 130 million people within the next 3–5 years. But scaling sustainably isn’t about copying and pasting models across markets.
Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia — each market requires its own data, partnerships, regulatory understanding and user-access model. Africa, with its mobile-money rails, demands a very different approach from other global regions like Southeast Asia, where super-app ecosystem rules the process. And understanding that difference is fundamental.
The next generation of inclusion leaders will be the ones who are global in vision but deeply local in execution. A new era of financial inclusion is unfolding
If there is one theme that became apparently clear during the Semafor panel, it is that the next chapter of financial inclusion will be shaped by AI-driven decisioning, embedded ecosystems, and localized growth strategies.
The companies, regulators and governments who understand these signals today will shape the financial systems serving the next three billion people. And Optasia intends to help lead that transformation.