An upcoming white paper will explore how mortgage brokers can remain relevant through to 2030 and beyond.
Personalised professional guidance will be key to keeping brokers at the centre of the industry as it enters “a decade of unprecedented change”, according to an upcoming report from the International Mortgage Brokers Federation (IMBF).
Insights stem from discussions held at the IMBF World Summit 2025 in Dublin earlier this year, where Australian mortgage brokers joined peers from the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and across Europe.
The forum gave regions around the world a chance to share insights on regulation and industry development, with the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA) the only Australian industry body represented on the global stage.
FBAA managing director Peter White AM, also the current chair of the IMBF, said the paper was focused on how brokers will remain relevant in 2030 and beyond.
“The FBAA will be using this paper at board level, and it will enable us to not only compare our progress and priorities to associations in other jurisdictions across the world, but better understand where the industry is headed,” he said.
Signals shaping the broker of 2030
An early version of the executive summary, obtained by The Adviser, outlines five significant cross-cutting signals identified from brokers at the discussions.
White acknowledged the white paper refers to “advice”, and that Australia has “an assistance not advice model”, but added it was still highly relevant to the future of the local industry.
Five signals shaping the mortgage broker of 2030 are:
- Advice* is your edge – In a world of embedded finance, brokers must put personalised, ethical guidance front and centre.
- Tech and trust go hand in hand – AI can support your work, but it can’t replace the human insight brokers bring.
- Education needs a rethink – Future brokers will need tech know-how, emotional intelligence, and business smarts, not just compliance training.
- Inclusion drives innovation – Gender diversity isn’t optional. It strengthens reach, resilience, and relevance and customers are noticing.
- Brokers as co-creators – Platforms, policy, and innovation work best when brokers’ insights into customer journeys shape them from the start.
Rather than drawing a definitive conclusion, the upcoming white paper serves as an inflection point, according to the FBAA.
The IMBF and its member associations will continue exploring these signals through regional strategies and benchmarks, cross-market collaboration on broker education, diversity and digital adoption, and ongoing international dialogue to shape the future of mortgage broking.
[Related: Big banks hate competition, says FBAA head]
*The FBAA referred to this as professional guidance in Australian terms. White said that while the white paper refers to “advice”, and that Australia has “an assistance not advice model”, it was still highly relevant to the future of the local industry.
