Leaders of the biggest brokerages in Australia have revealed the key pillars of success for running a major brokerage in 2026.
On Monday (9 February), the top mortgage and finance brokerages in Australia were revealed in The Adviser's annual Top 25 Brokerages ranking.
The full 2026 ranking – partnered by Liberty Financial – has been published in the February edition of The Adviser magazine, and showcases which brokerages are leading the way when it comes to volume of business written and efficiencies in writing a large number of loans each year.
To identify the strategies currently driving large-scale brokerage success, The Adviser spoke with the chief executives of the nation’s highest-performing brokerages and uncovered four core strategic pillars unifying their responses.
According to the CEOs, the keys to success in running a leading brokerage include: a values-driven culture, tech-enabled service, structural diversification, and continuous professional development.
1. Values-driven culture
Sebastian Watkins, CEO of Aussie (which topped the ranking this year), states that the foundation of a leading brokerage is a network that operates with a singular focus.
He told The Adviser that a business transitions into a true network only when all participants are aligned with a core set of values.
"Stay anchored in your values and keep everyone pulling in the same direction – that’s when a brokerage becomes a network," he advised.
He suggested that the concept of being "Stronger United" is the mechanism by which brokers and support teams share successful strategies to lift the collective performance of the group.
Similarly, Anthony Waldron, CEO of Mortgage Choice, said that success is rooted in understanding and aligning the specific needs of brokers and customers. In 2025, his firm focused on a "collective purpose" developed through network-wide consultation.
"We aligned on our network DNA to develop a shared vision that will guide Mortgage Choice into the future," Waldron said.
2. Technology married with the human element
While technological efficiencies and artificial intelligence (AI) integration remain a primary industry trend, brokerage leaders collectively emphasised that technology is being used to enhance, rather than replace, human judgment.
Watkins described technology and AI as "an enabler and a multiplier" designed to remove administrative friction and provide brokers with more time for client interaction: "They don’t replace the broker. This is a human business, built on trust and judgement," he explained.
"Keeping home loans human is ingrained in how we work, and it’s always on my mind."
Waldron said that Mortgage Choice launched an "AI Academy" in 2025 to provide brokers with pragmatic tools for reclaiming time, while Sam White, CEO of Loan Market, outlined that the brokerage was "harnessing its advantages to elevate the interaction between brokers and customers by combining data insights with personalised processes.
3. Diversification and "life-cycle" value
Strategic growth in 2026 is increasingly tied to moving beyond isolated mortgage transactions, with several brokerages in the Top 25 Brokerages ranking offering both residential and commercial lending.
Theo Chambers, CEO of Shore Financial (the highest-ranked independent brokerage), argued that the most effective brokerage models operate as integrated platforms.
"The most successful brokerages are the ones that combine great people with superior technology, specialist support, and diversified income streams," Chambers said.
He said that, by providing access to credit expertise and broader financial data, brokers can "write more business, retain customers for longer, and generate far greater lifetime value".
White echoed this, stating that providing additional services allows franchise owners to increase business profitability. Loan Market recently introduced platform enhancements to bring residential, commercial, and asset finance together, enabling brokers to address a wider range of customer requests.
4. Continuous education
The final common pillar identified by leaders as a leading factor to success in running a leading brokerage was a commitment to personal and professional evolution.
While growth requires a long-term perspective, any time or money spent on improving education and lifting professional development pays dividends, the brokerage CEOs suggested.
"Continue to invest in your own education – we all depreciate, and we need to be continually learning new skills," White said.
He emphasised that the most successful businesses are built through adaptation. "The best brokers have all faced challenges, and thought about giving up, but they have persevered, adapted, and built brilliant businesses."
You can find out more about what the leading CEOs attribute to their commercial success – and their advice on building a Top 25 Brokerage – in the February edition of The Adviser magazine, out now!
Want to find out the practical steps to building a Top 25 Brokerage? Hear from Darren Little, general manager of lending for Top 25 Brokerage Smartmove – Professional Mortgage Advisors (part of Viridian Financial Group) at the Better Business Summit 2026. Heading to five states this March and April, Little will unpack the “Smartmove playbook” that built a 100-strong global empire through high-octane automation, bulletproof workflows, and his top leadership advice.
First-release tickets for the Better Business Summit close on 11 February, so make sure to secure your ticket today to get the best price! Premium members of The Adviser can attend the Better Business Summit for free by using the delegate code in their membership portal.
[Related: Australia’s Top 25 Brokerages revealed!]
