Olyv: Redefining Personal Loans in India's Fintech Revolution

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India’s digital lending market is on a rapid rise, projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2025. With increasing smartphone usage, growing financial awareness, and a nationwide push for financial inclusion, the demand for fast, secure, and accessible loan solutions is stronger than ever. Among the key players transforming this space is Olyv, one of India’s most trusted personal loan providers.

Olyv stands out for its customer-first approach, offering instant approvals, competitive interest rates, flexible repayment options, and a seamless digital experience. Powered by advanced technology, smart risk models, and strong partnerships, Olyv is simplifying the borrowing experience and enabling financial freedom at scale.

In this article, explore more about Olyv—its founders, business and revenue model, funding journey, challenges faced, growth trajectory, and more.

Olyv - Company Highlights

Olyv - About
Olyv - Industry
Olyv - Founders and Team
Olyv - Startup Story
Olyv - Mission and Vision
Olyv - Name, Tagline and Logo
Olyv - Business Model and Revenue Model
Olyv - Product/ Services
Olyv - Launching Company Strategies
Olyv - Growth
Olyv - Customer Growth and Retention Strategies
Olyv - Challenges
Olyv - Funding
Olyv - Key Tools and Software
Olyv - Social Media Campaigns
Olyv - Startups Program/External Support
Olyv - Awards and Achievement
Olyv - Competitors
Olyv - Future Plans

Olyv - About

Olyv, formerly known as SmartCoin, was founded in 2017 as an app-based consumer lending platform that partnered with RBI-registered lenders to provide quick personal loans to underbanked self-employed and salaried individuals in India. Over the years, Olyv has evolved into a comprehensive digital financial platform, offering a wide range of services, including higher ticket size loans (upto 5 lakh), digital gold savings, and credit score management products.

With over 4 Crore users and a presence across 19,000+ pin codes, Olyv is ISO-certified and has become a trusted name in the fintech space. Backed by reputed investors like LGT Lightorck, Olyv is supported by a team of ~500 professionals dedicated to empowering the next billion pan-Indian population through technology-driven financial solutions. Olyv is also an active member of industry bodies like DLAI and FACE, working to improve the fintech ecosystem for both customers and industry players.

Olyv - Industry

India’s fintech market is one of the fastest-growing globally, projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2025. Olyv operates in the digital lending space, which is a significant segment of this market. With increasing smartphone penetration and digital adoption, the demand for accessible financial products is expected to grow exponentially. Olyv aims to capture a significant share of this market by expanding its offerings and reaching underserved populations.

Olyv - Founders and Team

Rohit Garg, Amit Chandel, Vinay Kumar Singh, and Jayant Upadhyay are Co-Founders of Olyv.

At Olyv, the work is strategically divided among the co-founders based on their expertise. Rohit Garg, as the Co-Founder & CEO, leads the company's vision, strategy, and overall business growth. Amit Chandel, the Co-Founder & CTO, oversees technology and innovation, ensuring a seamless digital lending experience. Vinay Kumar Singh, the Co-Founder & CPO, focuses on product development, enhancing user experience, and driving innovation in financial offerings. Jayant Upadhyay, the Co-Founder & COO, manages operations, ensuring efficiency in processes and execution. Together, they combine their strengths to make Olyv a trusted financial partner for users in India.

Olyv - Startup Story

Olyv was founded with the vision of providing quick and accessible credit to underserved users in India. The inspiration came from recognizing the financial struggles of individuals who lacked access to traditional credit due to limited credit history or formal financial footprints. The founders saw an opportunity to bridge this gap using technology and data-driven risk assessment. To validate the idea, they leveraged digital lending models, analyzing customer behavior and repayment patterns to refine their approach. By focusing on simplicity, speed, and reliability in financial services, Olyv has been able to not only scale massively but also in a profitable manner, validating the business model.

Olyv - Mission and Vision

Mission

Olyv’s core beliefs revolve around trust, transparency, and innovation. The company is committed to bridging the credit gap for underserved communities by using cutting-edge technology to deliver seamless and user-friendly financial services.

Its motto aligns with its mission to provide accessible and affordable financial solutions, enabling individuals to achieve their aspirations and improve their financial well-being. By combining technology, customer-centricity, and strategic partnerships, Olyv is dedicated to creating a sustainable and inclusive financial ecosystem for emerging India.

Vision

Olyv’s short-term vision focuses on expanding its reach and enhancing its product offerings to serve the underserved population of India, particularly in Tier 2+ cities. This includes leveraging advanced AI and machine learning to analyze user behavior, predict financial needs, and deliver highly personalized financial products with unmatched accuracy and speed. Olyv further aims to elevate its growth through embedded partnerships and expanding its product offerings based on customer needs.

Olyv aims to become a one-stop digital financial platform in the long term, empowering the next billion Indians with technology-driven financial products that foster financial inclusion and wellness.

Olyv - Name, Tagline and Logo

The name ‘Olyv’ was conceptualized with the understanding of keeping a uniquely significant name for the brand that is category-extendable and also extremely easy to pronounce. The company also has anecdotal references of “Olive” being a beacon of prosperity and growth across multiple global cultures. Choosing a lucid name like Olyv was a call taken with an in-depth understanding of both historical as well as practical references. The fact that the new name ‘Olyv’ is attributed to the higher brand mentions as compared to the previous brand name is a testimony to the seamless adoption and brand awareness amongst the customers.

The Olyv Logo is designed with the thought of a dart and an upward trending arrowhead, where the dart shows the depth of its product offerings, and the upward trending arrowhead signifies the growth and progress of its customers enabled via Olyv’s offerings.

The tagline “Jahan Sapne Wahan Olyv” is an ode to its relentless pursuit to be the partner to the aspirations of the ‘Emerging India’ democratizing credit access for all.

Olyv - Business Model and Revenue Model

Olyv operates as a comprehensive digital financial platform, offering a range of products such as personal loans, digital gold savings, and a credit score. Its business model revolves around leveraging advanced AI and machine learning to provide tailored financial solutions to underserved and underbanked individuals, including self-employed professionals, gig workers, and salaried individuals. Olyv generates revenue and profits through a combination of its core offering, i.e. digital lending (through interest on loans and processing fees) and cross-selling other services including digital gold savings and credit score management.

The platform’s pricing is competitive, with interest rates and fees structured to ensure affordability while maintaining healthy profit margins. By focusing on financial inclusion and using technology to minimize operational costs, Olyv has achieved a scalable and sustainable revenue model. Additionally, strategic partnerships, such as the one with Sourav Ganguly, are expected to drive customer acquisition and retention, further enhancing profitability and market penetration.

Olyv - Product/ Services

Olyv offers a range of financial products, including unsecured personal loans, digital gold savings, and credit score management. The app allows users to avail of personal loans through RBI-registered lenders, enabling safe loan approvals and disbursements. It solves the problem of financial exclusion by providing underserved individuals with access to credit and savings tools, helping them achieve their financial goals.

Olyv - Launching Company Strategies

The company began by tapping into their networks—family and friends—to build an initial customer base. This approach provided valuable feedback and allowed them to refine their offering early on. Social media played a crucial role in amplifying their reach, enabling them to connect with early adopters. Additionally, word-of-mouth marketing proved highly effective, as satisfied users recommended their services to others.

Importantly, the company prioritized direct conversations with customers to better understand their challenges and preferences. This hands-on, customer-centric approach helped build trust and ensured they were addressing a genuine problem. By remaining focused on the customer and staying agile, they were able to grow organically and establish a strong foundation for Olyv.

Olyv - Growth

Olyv has a massive distribution with 4 Crore users and a pan-India presence, disbursing loans to 19,000+ pin codes across the country. To date, Olyv has disbursed approximately 1 billion in loans across around 6 million loans with about 75% repeat customers. The new products launched in the last few quarters (including digital gold savings and credit score management) are scaling rapidly and have helped reach over 2.5 million MAUs across its platform, already contributing to the company’s bottom line.

It has partnered with reputed investors, and its impact has been recognized at platforms like the World Economic Forum.

Olyv - Customer Growth and Retention Strategies

Since its launch, Olyv has implemented several innovative strategies to drive customer growth and retention, particularly targeting underserved segments of society, including self-employed individuals, early-salaried professionals, and customers from Tier 2+ cities. One of the key strategies has been leveraging advanced AI and machine learning to offer personalized financial solutions, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience. Olyv has also focused on building trust and transparency by clearly communicating loan terms, interest rates, and repayment processes, which has been critical in attracting and retaining customers who are often skeptical of digital financial platforms.

Additionally, strategic partnerships, such as the collaboration with Sourav Ganguly, have played a significant role in driving awareness and adoption of Olyv’s services across India. This partnership has helped Olyv reach a wider audience, particularly in smaller cities and towns, while reinforcing its mission of financial inclusion. By continuously expanding its product portfolio to include services like larger loans, digital gold savings, and credit health management, Olyv has been able to meet the evolving needs of its customers, fostering long-term loyalty and growth.

Olyv - Challenges

Olyv has encountered several challenges on its journey to becoming a leading digital financial platform. One of the key challenges was assessing the creditworthiness of individuals with limited or no formal credit history. Olyv tackled this by leveraging advanced AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze alternative data points, enabling them to provide personalized loans while minimizing risks.

Additionally, scaling operations to meet the growing demand for financial services in India posed a challenge. With the support of strategic funding from investors, Olyv expanded its product offerings and enhanced its technological infrastructure. By focusing on innovation, customer trust, and strategic partnerships, Olyv has successfully navigated these challenges, emerging as a trusted platform for financial management in India.

Olyv - Funding

Olyv has been successfully raising capital across instruments, including equity, venture debt, and debt, to support its mission of driving financial inclusion for underserved communities in India. Over the years, the company has attracted investments from prominent fintech investors. This funding has enabled the company to transition from a consumer lending platform to a comprehensive digital financial ecosystem, offering services such as larger loans, digital gold savings, and credit score management. Supported by a strong network of investors and a clear vision, Olyv continues to innovate and grow, aiming to empower the next billion Indians with accessible and technology-driven financial solutions.

Here are the funding details of Olyv as sourced from Tracxn:

Olyv - Key Tools and Software

Olyv uses in-house advanced AI and machine learning tools for credit score checks, risk assessment, and customer engagement. The app is built on a robust tech stack to ensure scalability and security.

Olyv - Social Media Campaigns

One of Olyv’s most successful marketing campaigns has been its rebranding initiative, which marked its evolution from SmartCoin to Olyv. This campaign was designed to communicate the company’s transformation from a consumer lending platform to a comprehensive digital financial ecosystem. The rebranding highlighted Olyv’s expanded offerings, including larger loans, digital gold savings, and credit score management, while emphasizing its mission to empower underserved Indians.

The campaign leveraged a mix of digital marketing, social media engagement, and storytelling to connect with its target audience, showcasing real-life success stories of users who benefited from Olyv’s services. By focusing on trust, transparency, and financial inclusion, the campaign resonated deeply with its audience, driving significant user engagement and reinforcing Olyv’s position as a leader in the fintech space. This strategic effort not only strengthened brand recall but also aligned with Olyv’s vision of fostering financial wellness for emerging India.

Olyv - Startups Program/External Support

Olyv has participated in programs like Google’s Launchpad Accelerator, which provided mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities, helping the company scale its operations.

Olyv - Awards and Achievement

• Fintech Startup of the Year - 2025 by the jury of ET BrandEquity
• Best AI Application of Tech for Good at the Financial Express Futech Award 2022, and was recognized at the prestigious World Economic Forum for its mission to drive tech-enabled financial inclusion.
• Olyv has been celebrated at national and international platforms, including Google’s Launchpad Accelerator and the Global Inclusive50 by MetLife, VISA, and IFC.
• Olyv's biggest achievement lies in transforming from a credit-led platform to a comprehensive digital financial ecosystem, offering services like larger loans, digital gold savings, and credit health management. Supported by marquee investors including Lightorck, and as an active member of DLAI and FACE, Olyv continues to lead the way in fostering financial inclusion and wellness for emerging India.

Olyv - Competitors

Some of the top competitors of Olyv include:

• Kreditbee
• MoneyView
• MoneyTap
• Navi
• Fibe

Olyv - Future Plans

Over the next 1–2 years, the company’s primary focus will be on scaling operations and enhancing its offerings to better serve customers. Taking inspiration from successful rebranding and growth strategies, such as those implemented by Olyv, it plans to invest significantly in technology and innovation to improve user experience. This includes expanding its product portfolio, leveraging data analytics for personalized solutions, and strengthening its digital presence through targeted marketing campaigns.

In addition, the organization aims to forge strategic partnerships and explore new markets to drive growth. By prioritizing customer-centric approaches and maintaining agility in its strategies, it is confident in achieving sustainable growth and solidifying its position as a leader in the industry.

FAQs

What is Olyv?

Olyv is an app-based consumer lending platform that partnered with RBI-registered lenders to provide quick personal loans to underbanked self-employed and salaried individuals in India.

What are the benefits of using Olyv for a personal loan?

The advantages of using Olyv could include speed, convenience, transparency, competitive interest rates, or a more streamlined application process. 

Is Olyv approved by RBI?

Olyv is also registered with the RBI and adheres to the regulations set by the Reserve Bank of India.