Bassim Haidar’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1991. At the tender age of 20, he co-founded Intercomm Ltd., which specialized in telecommunications equipment and radio links.

Haider followed this up with other successful start-ups, including GMT Group, Channel IT, and his latest venture, Channel VAS.

At the core of these endeavors lies Haidar’s purpose: finding out what people in developing countries need, and creating solutions that attract global renown.

Haidar advocates that technology and mobile financial services can bridge the financial gap, and create bottom-up growth in developing nations. This social entrepreneurship makes a significant impact in business, as well as elevating the livelihoods of people.

Established in 2011, Channel VAS has grown to become one of the world’s premium fintech companies. The UAE-based company develops mobile financial services, airtime credit services, handset loans and big data analytics.

Channel VAS has established partnerships with mobile network operators and financial institutions in more than 30 countries, reaching more than 560 million people and providing credit decisions for over $8M daily.

In 2022, Channel VAS rebranded to Optasia as part of their endeavors to reach emerging markets through advanced AI technology. The proprietary AI processes and analyzes unstructured behavioural data to create well-structured and client-based financial services for the company’s clients.