{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Optasia, AI-enabled fintech business, listing on the JSE. Worth buying?","description":"\ud83c\udf0d Worldwide Markets Ep. 653 \u2013 Gold Crashes, Markets Burn, and Optasia\u2019s JSE Listing \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Hosted by Simon Brown \ud83d\udcc5 Recorded: Tuesday, 21 October 2025 \ud83d\udcc8 Powered by Standard Bank Global Markets, Retail & Shyft \u2013 The global money app that puts travel, shopping, payments and investments in the palm of your hand. \ud83d\udca5 Local Markets Crushed A brutal day on the JSE as the market closed down 2.5%, with resources tumbling 7.8% despite a steady rand (R17.43). Gold miners collapsed: Implats & Sibanye -10%, Gold Fields & Harmony -9%, AngloGold* -8%. PGMs also fell hard: Northam & Impala down over 7%. Retail pain: TFG* dropped a shocking 16.6% after a poor trading update, dragging down Pepkor, Mr Price*, and even WeBuyCars. U.S. markets were red but only mildly so \u2014 calm compared to SA\u2019s bloodbath. \ud83e\ude99 Gold: After 9 Green Weeks, the Pullback Arrives Gold finally broke its 10-week winning streak, plunging from $4,378 to $4,122 \u2014 a $250 drop in two days \ud83d\ude2c Simon notes this was inevitable after nine straight weeks of gains. Likely short-term support around $3,950\u2013$4,000, with potential consolidation below $4,000. Despite the scare, the Satrix Resi is still up over 100% for 2025. \ud83d\udca1 Lesson: even in a bull run, sharp corrections are part of the journey. \ud83e\udde0 Optasia: AI Fintech Listing on the JSE A major new listing \u2014 Optasia (code: OPA) \u2014 is set to debut 3 November. Valued at around R20\u201325 billion, it\u2019s one of the largest fintech listings in years. Key Facts: Business: Micro-loans & airtime credit to the unbanked and underbanked. Reach: 38 markets (Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe). Scale: 120 million customers\/month 32 million loans\/day $13m total daily loan value Average loan: $5 (microfinance) and $0.25 (airtime credit) Defaults: impressively low at 1.14% \ud83d\udcaa Backers: Standard Bank, RMB, EcoBank, MTN, Vodacom, Airtel, Zain, and more. Listing price range: R15.50\u2013R19.00 per share. Lockup: 180 days for sellers, 365 for directors. Existing shareholder exit: Ethos Capital (EPE) partially selling down. Simon\u2019s Take \ud83c\udfaf Solid business with real revenue and strong growth (\u224890% YoY in 2025H1). But\u2026 valuation not cheap (PE \u2248 mid-20s). Concerns over allocation uncertainty and currency\/regulatory risks in frontier markets. \ud83d\udcac Verdict: \u201cI\u2019m not applying \u2014 great business, fair valuation, but not compelling enough.\u201d \ud83d\ude97 CMH* (Combined Motor Holdings): Excellent Results & Share Buyback Vehicle sales hit their highest levels since 2015, and CMH delivered stellar numbers \ud83d\ude99\ud83d\udca8 Headline earnings: +25% No dividend this time, but a 15% share buyback instead. Strong exposure to Indian & Chinese brands (nearly 50% of sales) plus Suzuki, now SA\u2019s #2 brand. Legacy luxury brands are struggling. Historic returns: Share price last decade: 12% Dividend yield last decade: ~10% Combined \u2248 22% annual shareholder return over the past decade! \ud83d\udcca The Twist Founder Jeb McIntosh (79) may be looking to gradually exit \u2014 Simon suspects the buyback could facilitate this. Still, Simon\u2019s holding: \u201cI\u2019m not selling \u2014 unless they offer me a crazy price.\u201d \ud83c\udfe6 Upcoming Event: Standard Bank Client Migration \ud83d\udce2 Important for OST, WebTrader, and AutoShare Invest clients: Standard Bank is migrating investment clients to Shift. Join Simon Brown and Adish from Standard Bank on Tuesday, 28 October, 5:30 PM (Rosebank or Webcast). \ud83d\udd17 Register at justonelap.com\/events \ud83d\udcac Final Thoughts Markets can be messy, but knowledge is power. Simon wraps up with his usual reminder: \u201cLook after yourself \u2014 and if you can, look after somebody else too.\u201d \u2764\ufe0f \ud83d\udd11 Episode Summary \ud83e\ude99 Gold\u2019s epic run ends with a sharp pullback. \ud83d\udcc9 JSE hammered by resources & retailers. \ud83e\udd16 Optasia brings fintech AI excitement to the JSE. \ud83d\ude97 CMH delivers strong results and a massive buyback. \ud83c\udfe6 Big changes coming for Standard Bank investing clients. Simon Brown * I hold ungeared positions. All charts by KoyFin | Get 10% off your order ","author_name":"WorldWide Markets with Simon Brown","author_url":"http:\/\/www.justonelap.com","html":"