Standard Bank Negotiates Stake in OPay Ahead of US IPO

Standard Bank Group is in negotiations to acquire a stake in OPay Digital Services, a Nigerian financial technology firm, prior to the company's planned initial public offering in the United States. OPay is targeting a valuation of approximately $4 billion for its listing on the New York Stock Exchange, which may occur later this year.

To facilitate the IPO, OPay has appointed Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. as managers. The fintech company, which receives backing from SoftBank Group and Sequoia Capital, reported significant growth in 2025. Its gross transaction value increased 115 percent to $358 billion, and the company reported becoming profitable last year.

OPay currently serves between 39.3 million monthly active users and 50 million total users. While Standard Bank has declined to comment on the market speculation, the potential investment aligns with a trend of African mobile-payment firms seeking capital in a region that handled 66% of global mobile-money activity in 2025. No formal agreement has been reached between the two parties.