Happy Money Secures $500 Million Purchase Agreement Led by Fortress Investment Group and Edge Focus to Expand Access to Responsible Lending
Funding agreement will accelerate Happy Money's growth and provide more consumers with smart, sustainable debt consolidation solutions
TORRANCE, Calif., June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Happy Money, a leading consumer finance company dedicated to empowering individuals through responsible lending, today announced a forward flow purchase agreement whereby funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group ("Fortress") and Edge Focus will purchase up to $500 million of Happy Money loans. This forward flow purchase agreement will provide flexible and scalable capital to fuel the expansion of Happy Money's personal loan product, enhancing the company's ability to serve more consumers and meet the growing demand for its loans.
This funding agreement comes as U.S. consumer credit card balances reach record highs, reinforcing the need for lending solutions that save borrowers time and money. Under the agreement, funds managed by affiliates of Fortress, a leading global investment manager, and Edge Focus, a fast-growing consumer credit-focused asset manager, will purchase personal loans facilitated by Happy Money.
"We believe that Happy Money's strong underwriting, data-driven approach and proven track record in lending make this forward flow agreement a compelling investment opportunity for our fund investors," said Bart Stankiewicz, Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group. "We're energized about supporting Happy Money's continued growth in delivering meaningful financial solutions for borrowers while seeking to generate value for our investors."
Happy Money has built a fully digital lending platform that provides consumers with personal loans designed to help them pay off credit card debt faster and more affordably. To date, the company has originated over $6 billion in personal loans, empowering more than 300,000 individuals nationwide to take greater control of their financial futures while offering lending partners assets that have the potential to enhance portfolio diversification and provide strong risk-adjusted returns.
"Happy Money offers an industry-leading debt consolidation solution that prioritizes consumers' best interests while ensuring strong portfolio performance for lending partners," said Sean Mills, Chief Technology Officer of Edge Focus. "Our new agreement with Happy Money and Fortress enables us to invest in high-quality loans that provide a path to financial stability for thousands of consumers."
The new capital from Fortress and Edge Focus will allow Happy Money to scale efficiently, enhance marketing reach and serve an even broader range of consumers seeking relief from high-interest credit card debt. The agreement will help build on the strength of Happy Money's lending program and its continued momentum in the market, with the 2025 FinTech Breakthrough Awards recently recognizing Happy Money as the Best Consumer Lending Company.
"At Happy Money, we're on a mission to use lending as a force for good, and this funding agreement will increase our capacity to help even more people improve their financial well-being," said Matt Potere, CEO of Happy Money. "Partnering with Fortress and Edge Focus strengthens our ability to meet the rising demand for responsible lending and expand access to debt consolidation solutions that put borrowers first."
About Happy Money
Happy Money is a consumer finance company that empowers people to achieve their goals through responsible lending. With its fully digital platform, Happy Money partners with credit unions, banks and asset managers to originate high-quality loans, unlocking balance sheet diversification and scale.
Backed by leading investors like TruStage Ventures, Happy Money provides a turnkey acquisition, underwriting and originations channel for financial institutions to grow as a force for good in their communities. Together with their capital partner network, Happy Money has originated over $6 billion in loans representing more than 300,000 individuals who have taken greater control of their financial futures. Learn more at happymoney.com.
About Fortress Investment Group
Fortress Investment Group LLC is a leading, highly diversified global investment manager. Founded in 1998, Fortress manages $50 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2024, on behalf of approximately 2,000 institutional clients and private investors worldwide across a range of credit and real estate, private equity and permanent capital investment strategies. AUM refers to assets Fortress manages, including capital that Fortress has the right to call from investors, or investors are otherwise required to contribute, pursuant to their capital commitments to various funds or managed accounts.
The Fortress Asset-Based Credit business provides capital solutions to specialty finance companies, lending against and investing in a broad spectrum of consumer receivables, small commercial receivables and other contractual cash flow streams. With over two decades of experience as an active investor in the space, the team focuses primarily on originating businesses in the US and Europe with an asset class agnostic approach.
For more information, visit www.fortress.com.
About Edge Focus
Edge Focus is a technology and investment management company that provides its investors and capital partners with curated access to consumer-focused private credit, with Edge. Edge Focus runs funds and separately managed accounts for its partners as well as offering the fintech market access to its suite of technology tools for underwriting and portfolio analysis. For more information, visit www.edgefocuspartners.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/happy-money-secures-500-million-purchase-agreement-led-by-fortress-investment-group-and-edge-focus-to-expand-access-to-responsible-lending-302482458.html
SOURCE Happy Money