VIVA Finance closes a $150M credit facility with Viola Credit to scale personal loans repaid through payroll

Atlanta-based VIVA Finance has closed a $150 million credit facility with Viola Credit, the alternative credit manager with about $5 billion under management and more than $3.5 billion of asset-based lending deals completed.

Founded in 2019 by brothers Jack Markwalter, CEO, and Hodges Markwalter, VIVA underwrites personal loans mainly on employment rather than credit scores and takes repayment straight from the borrower's direct deposit. Loans run up to $15,000 over up to 36 months at APRs of 11.99% to 35.99%, originated by Thread Bank, DR Bank or VIVA itself. Distribution runs through employer and benefits partners including Paychex and BenefitHub.

The facility follows more than $220 million of capital raised in July 2025, mostly debt from Community Investment Management, when VIVA reported over $250 million of loans originated since 2020.

Michael Chen, head of US investments at Viola Credit, said VIVA fills a real gap in consumer finance.