Connective’s in-house lending arm has posted significant gains, with applications, settlements, and product breadth hitting new highs.
Connective’s white label brand has posted its strongest year on record in 2025, with Connective Lending reporting sharp growth in applications and settlements as rate cuts and a broader product shelf combined to lift demand.
According to Connective, gross settlements through Connective Lending climbed 20 per cent over the year to $6.01 billion, marking a fresh high for the portfolio.
Applications were even stronger, jumping nearly 30 per cent to $9.02 billion.
Usage of the white label suite within the group remained solid, with Connective reporting that 56 per cent of its network wrote business with Connective Lending during 2025.
The average number of applications per broker edged towards 5 per cent.
The results showed that brokers’ behaviour inside the product set shifted, with around half of those using Connective Lending now writing across two or more solutions, moving away from single‑product placement.
Head of Connective Lending, Michael Goerner, said the scale of the uplift only told part of the story, noting that the trajectory coming out of 2025 was just as important as the numbers.
“What really stands out in 2025 isn’t just the numbers, but the momentum behind them,” he said.
Brokers lean into complex solutions
Goerner said the mix of files coming across brokers’ desks had changed substantially, with more scenarios requiring alternative structures or specialist decisioning.
Framing Connective’s role in helping intermediaries navigate that complexity, he said the group had focused on providing the support and tools needed to execute confidently across a wider range of situations.
“We saw brokers dealing with a much broader mix of client needs than in previous years – from more complex situations to clients needing alternative paths to finance. Our role was to give them the clarity, flexibility and support to respond confidently, no matter the scenario,” Goerner said.
The shift was reflected in the take‑up of multiple white label offerings within a single broker business.
The aggregator said half of Connective Lending users now wrote across at least two solutions, a trend it said not only diversified funding lines but also kept more specialist and non‑traditional scenarios within its own ecosystem.
New products widen white label remit
The aggregator said a key driver of that behavioural change had been the launch of three new products during 2025.
The first was Connective Horizon, funded by non‑bank Brighten, which targets borrowers needing flexible mainstream solutions.
The second was Connective Reverse – backed by Household Capital – which brought a reverse‑mortgage option onto the stable, and Connective Complete – the group’s first “own” product – funded via a joint venture structure with specialist lender RedZed.
Goerner said the expanded line‑up was designed to ensure brokers could keep more nuanced or non‑traditional deals within a single, integrated white label framework.
“Our focus has been on giving brokers the breadth of solutions and flexibility needed to support a wide range of client situations – whether that’s bridging into a new property, reverse mortgages or other specialist loans,” he said.
“Combined with growing support from the Connective team, this has helped brokers turn more applications into settled loans and deliver the outcomes that matter to their clients.”
Q4 surge as conditions ease
Connective said the year finished with a particularly strong run rate as monetary policy and government support measures filtered through.
The aggregator reported that the December quarter alone generated $2.82 billion in applications, including $1.02 billion in November, helping lift the full‑year conversion rate to 67 per cent.
That momentum translated into the portfolio’s best settlement quarter on record at $1.77 billion, with December accounting for $655 million, 33 per cent above the previous monthly peak set in 2024.
The group attributed the uplift to a combination of improving borrower sentiment as Reserve Bank rate cuts eased servicing pressure and the influence of the first home buyer scheme.
Goerner said the white label arm’s ability to evolve quickly alongside its network had been central to capturing the upswing.
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