Two months after Flutterwave became the third unicorn fintech company in Africa, OPay has achieved the same feat with the fundraising of over N160 bblli illion.

The Nigerian mobile payment platform with market presence in Africa and Middle East, is now valued at $2 billion almost four years after it was founded by Opera, the internet search engine firm.

This valuation increases the list of unicorns in Africa - which is startups valued above a billion-dollar - to five, joining Interswitch, Jumia, Fawry and Flutterwave.

The $2 billion valuation of OPay was made possible by the investment round led by SoftBank Vision Fund, alongside Sequoia Capital China, DragonBall Capital.

Other participants included Chinese food-delivery giant Meituan, Redpoint China, Source Code Capital, SoftBank Ventures Asia and 3W Capital - the eight investors contributed N160 billion.

This is one of few fundraising organised by OPay, as the fintech company had raised about $170 million prior to the recent capital infusion announced on Monday, August 23, 2021, by Bloomberg.

This is SoftBank's first investment entry into Africa, and according to Kentaro Matsui, Managing Director of SoftBank Group Corp. and former managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers:

OPay intends to incorporate the funds in its bid to power and hasten the development of emerging market through financial technology, Yahui Zhou, OPay Chief Executive Officer said.

OPay's growth within three years has seen it make above $3 billion as monthly transaction volumes.

Note: Legit.ng made enquiries regarding the deal from SoftBank, and is still awaiting response.

In related news, Legit.ng had previously reported that Flutterwave's market valuation rose above $1 billion in March 2021, after organising a fundraising.

The Nigerian-owned fintech startup raised $170 million from eleven investors to grow its services and make it competitive in a nascent market.

Flutterwave was founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Olugbenga Agboola in 2016, with headquarters located in San Francisco, United States.

Source: Legit.ng News

The last Saturday night party was the best, as everyone was on all white, there was interaction between the evicted housemates, and the housemates who still remained in the house, they were mixed reactions when they saw each other, some hugged and exchanged pleasantries, while others could be said to have been ignored, and they really partied as they danced, drunk and jubilated with each other.

 

 

 

One aspect of the party that I was really happy with was the fact that Ozo wasn't all over Nengi as he had been in the past, he even went as far as doing what you can call ignoring her, I think when he went out of the house, and saw his behaviour from the viewer's point of view, he realized that the girl was making a fool out of him, and that she might not be worth it all, I mean Laycon was obviously enjoying what Ozo was working for without all the sweat, so thank goodness that he left Nengi alone. In the party, he was seen with Katrina and probably the two being together andYou can say that it was Karma, because in the past, Nengi has been known to put off Ozoand push him off when he tries to get closer, sometimes when he's talking to her, she would just get up and leave like he wasn't a real person or didn't have feelings, but when he finally does this to her, she cries and says that she doesn't want anything to do with him, even outside the house, while the other housemates try to console her.

 

Later in the day whole she and Neo was in the kitchen, she acknowledged that she was disappointed in herself, because of the tears she shed over him, saying that it was stupid and useless, and that she would not drink alcohol to the level she drank it to last night. Indirectly saying that alcohol also contributed to her behaviour.

 

Well I don't think so, though alcohol has been known to cause uncontrollable behaviour, which she attributed her crying to, it also causes slurred speech and staggered walking, in addition to other symptoms that Nengididn't show, so I don't think it's fair to say that alcohol contributed to her crying, she probably has some unaddressed feelings for Ozo, or she has never been ignored before in her life, what do you think, please share your thoughts in the comments section. 

      As Africans, the time has come for us to start celebrating the Day of the Dead. The time has also come for this to be incorporated into the many holidays being observed in our respective countries, especially in our native Nigeria.

       In years past, our fathers used to remember their fathers and ancestors but today, we have forgotten our departed loved ones. Their crime: They died. And every physical expression of love dies at burial. This should not be so.

      What stops us from having a specific day in Nigeria where relatives can come out to remember their departed ones? What stops us from having a day brothers and sisters, cousins, nieces can gather in their different locations to remember a dead grandfather, grandmother, mother, brother, sister or any late loved one.

    During this period, we will take the opportunity to visit the gravesite and pull weeds, clean any debris and decorate the graves of our loved ones.

It will also give us the opportunity to place candles, flowers, and favorite foods of our deceased.

AANU ADEDUN in this opinion called for a holiday in honour of loved ones that have died. Photo credit: Legion.org

      It will give us a uniform time to sing and tell favorite stories about those who have passed.

This should not be a "do what you like thing". It should be a uniform thing. A day set aside by the federal government. It can be termed Memorial Day. But we need a day to celebrate our departed loved ones.

      Religion should not make us forget our departed loved ones. Some may argue that remembrance should only be in the heart but I disagree with you. Like love, remembering our departed loved ones should also be a thing of the heart and physical action. Love is love. Let us start celebrating those beautiful souls in our physical world here. Let us have a holiday for this.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng.

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