Optio Incentives, a Nordic fintech specializing in employee equity and incentive programs, has significantly scaled its global offering by acquiring the share plan software platform from Investec Wealth & Investment International. This strategic transaction empowers Optio to support over one million participants across more than 15 stock exchanges worldwide, solidifying its position as a truly global provider in the employee equity compensation landscape. The acquisition also provides Optio with access to long-standing client relationships, a highly scalable infrastructure, and the experienced team behind the platform, further accelerating its annual growth trajectory, which has consistently exceeded 80 percent since its inception.

Christoffer Herheim, CEO and co-founder of Optio Incentives, highlighted the immediate benefits of the acquisition, stating, "With this acquisition, we're expanding our product offering in the UK and South Africa, significantly strengthening our global footprint." He emphasized the importance of integrating the skilled team, ensuring continuity, client knowledge, and deep domain expertise from day one. The newly acquired share plan platform previously supported over 60 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, providing Optio direct access to the lucrative UK market. In South Africa, the platform continues to be white-labelled by JSE Investor Services, a leading share registry, custody, and investor service provider for the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), managing equity programs for a significant portion of the country's listed and unlisted firms. This deal establishes JSE Investor Services as the exclusive user of Optio's administration software in Africa.

Post-acquisition, Optio now boasts a robust client base of over 500 corporate clients across Scandinavia, the UK, Italy, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and South Africa. This expansion underscores Optio's commitment to simplifying the complexities of employee incentive programs, helping companies maintain compliance, manage equity globally, and accurately report costs, thereby maximizing the benefits of their equity compensation plans.

Founded in 2018 in Oslo by Christoffer Herheim and Mats Gerø, Optio was established to address a notable gap in the market: the scarcity of modern, scalable solutions for managing employee equity and stock option plans. At the time, these essential services were predominantly offered by large banks and law firms, which often proved to be expensive, rigid, and ill-suited for the dynamic needs of contemporary workplaces. Herheim noted, "We saw growing demand for equity-based compensation, but very few tools met companies' real needs. We built Optio as a challenger – combining technology, compliance, and user experience in one modern platform."

Today, Optio supports many of the largest listed companies across the Nordic region, DACH, and Southern Europe, and with this latest acquisition, also leading corporates in the UK and South Africa. This extensive experience across diverse markets and company stages, ranging from growth companies to multinational enterprises, positions Optio as one of the few truly global providers of equity compensation solutions. The company is committed to continuing its growth journey through both organic expansion, by deepening its product suite and enhancing its local market presence, and strategic acquisitions and partnerships. Herheim concluded, "We believe employee ownership is one of the most powerful drivers of engagement and long-term value creation. This acquisition strengthens our ability to scale globally, supported by robust infrastructure, strong client relationships, and an experienced team that knows this space inside out." In 2024, Optio further diversified its offerings by launching a dedicated private equity solution, aimed at streamlining, digitizing, and scaling the management of equity programs across firms' portfolios.