Optasia believes ‘Privacy by Design’ is Nigeria’s only path to sustainable AI-driven finance

In the rush to adopt artificial intelligence, the global fintech conversation often fixates on speed: how fast can we scale, how quickly can we credit-score the unbanked, and how rapidly can we deploy algorithms? But, at the recently-concluded National Privacy Week 2026, Optasia, a Dubai-based, AI-powered fintech platform processing over 32 million daily transactions, championed a different metric entirely: trust. This is imperative as the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) tightens its regulatory framework.

For Salvador Anglada, the Group CEO, the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) and the rigorous standards of the NDPC are not bureaucratic hurdles to clear. They are the foundational blueprint for the next decade of digital finance.

In an exclusive interview with Technext, Salvador noted that “Privacy by Design” is the only sustainable path for AI-driven finance in Nigeria and how the company is turning regulatory compliance into a competitive engine for financial inclusion.

“Privacy by Design means we treat data privacy not as a legal checkbox at the end of development, but as the foundational blueprint for every line of code we write,” Anglada tells me.

This distinction is critical. In an era where data is often described as the new oil, many tech firms are tempted to extract as much as possible. Optasia takes the opposite approach. “We don’t just hoover up data because we can,” the CEO explains.

“We strictly define what is necessary for a precise credit decision and discard the rest.”

For Optasia’s engineering teams, this philosophy translates into three non-negotiable pillars. First, customer data never leaves the custody of the mobile operator or financial partner; Optasia processes it under a strict “right-to-use” model.

Second, the platform is built on data minimisation and encryption, ensuring that even in the event of a system compromise, the data remains useless to intruders. Third, infrastructure is continuously stress-tested against global ISO-aligned controls.

“The biggest challenge is making sure AI doesn’t move faster than people’s rights,” Anglada notes. “For us, the answer has been to turn privacy and ethics into performance constraints. Our engineers know that models must be explainable, auditable, and data-minimal by design.”

Optasia is decoding the unbanked without invasion

The practical application of this philosophy is most visible in Optasia’s B2B2X model, a framework that connects mobile network operators (who have the customer relationship) with banks (who provide regulated funds).

The challenge in markets like Nigeria has always been determining creditworthiness for the millions of thin-file customers who lack traditional banking history. Historically, some digital lenders solved this by scraping intrusive personal data, contacts, messages, and gallery images.

Optasia rejects that approach.

“The goal isn’t to know more about a person; it’s to understand whether they can comfortably repay a small loan,” the CEO clarifies. Instead of invasive scraping, Optasia’s AI analyses everyday patterns: how consistently a user buys airtime or whether they repay small advances on time. “These small, everyday behaviours can tell you a lot about reliability and affordability.”

This restraint hasn’t hampered performance; it has enhanced it. By optimising models for customer success rather than just approval speed, Optasia maintains default rates around 1.1%, a staggering figure in the micro-lending space.

“We measure impact in Nigeria not by how many loans we issue, but by how much resilience and opportunity those loans create,” Anglada says. “For many users, this is their first formal credit relationship. Their digital behaviour becomes a stepping-stone into the broader financial system, rather than a vulnerability.”

Sovereignty in a borderless world

Operating across 38 countries presents a complex web of data sovereignty laws. However, the CEO emphasises that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to security.

In Nigeria, this means strict adherence to the NDPA and ensuring that local data integrity is not compromised for the sake of global insights.

“We use large-scale data analysis to remove arbitrary exclusions and bias from our models, rather than to exploit behavioural patterns,” Anglada explains. “This allows Nigerian data to benefit from global insights without compromising local control. A Nigerian customer can access AI-driven credit products informed by billions of decisions worldwide, while knowing their rights and protections at home remain in full force.”

This commitment to transparency has only deepened since Optasia’s listing on the JSE in November 2025. Transitioning to a public entity brought a new layer of accountability: balancing the transparency expected by institutional investors with the absolute protection of user data.

“Investors want clear proof of strong data protection and ethical AI to secure the long-term value of their investment,” Anglada notes. “Demonstrating that corporate transparency directly reinforces the trust-based systems we deliver is how we keep our growth sustainable.”

Looking beyond 2026, the dialogue between fintechs and regulators is shifting. The CEO envisions a move from a policing model to one of co-creation, where innovation and compliance work in tandem.

“We see the relationship between fintechs and regulators like the NDPC evolving into a genuine co-creation model,” he says.

As AI becomes more autonomous, this partnership will be the defining factor in whether the digital economy expands or contracts. For Optasia, the mission is clear: to build an architecture where autonomous AI serves as a force for stability and fairness.

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