Through Swiggy Capital Assist program, HAPPY will extend the capability to thousands of Swiggy partner restaurants across all major cities through its completely digital and paperless lending model. The fast-growing online food market in India which, as per a report by Google and Boston Consulting Group, is expected to touch USD 7.5-8 billion at 25-30 per cent CAGR by 2022, gives testimony to the fact that India loves its food.

While food tech aggregators are riding on the wave of rapid digitization, favourable shopper disposition and increased penetration in smaller cities, many small restaurants are boosting their growth like no other.

As per a 2019 report, India's food services market is estimated at Rs 4.24 trillion. 65 per cent of India's food services market comprises unorganized or unregulated joints; most of whom do not have access to formal sources of credit. And that's where digital lending fintech HAPPY has stepped in to help.

In the current pandemic-led situation, small scale restaurants that live on a day-to-day cash flow basis have been the worst hit and are struggling to meet the costs of their rent and staff. HAPPY's foray into the food-tech sector, in partnership with India's leading online food delivery platform Swiggy, could not have come at a better time.

HAPPY offers small-scale restaurants with short-term, small-ticket and easy-to-repay loans. Already a market leader, HAPPY addresses the needs of small and micro-businesses in India, a segment underserved by traditional financial institutions.

Manish Khera, Founder & CEO, HAPPY, states, "Our objective is to enable small-scale restaurants to get quick access to credit to meet their growth and working capital needs. Especially when these businesses have been hit by the pandemic-led slowdown, this facility will aid their recovery and help them stay afloat in the current times.”

HAPPY leverages machine learning-based model to instantly underwrite loans to interested restaurateurs based on their past sales performance among other data points. The technological edge, combined with the unique product, will make this partnership a one-stop destination for small and medium-scale restaurants to achieve their business dreams.