Dec 2025 - Jan 2026
Australian Finance Group (AFG) announced it had made two equity investments in Melbourne-based Empower Wealth Group and Western Australia’s Lifespan Mortgage Services as part of its Broker Investments program. The ASX-listed aggregator would later announce investments in Sydney’s Loan Path Finance in July and Brisbane’s Network Finance in October.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) delivered its first cash rate cut since November 2020, reducing the rate by 25 basis points to 4.10 per cent. This decision snapped a streak of nine consecutive announcements in which rates were held steady by the central bank.
Lendi Group – the parent company behind the Aussie and Lendi brokerage brands – confirmed it has made Aussie its primary broking brand. The decision marked the beginning of a major year for Aussie – which unveiled its new Find.Buy.Own proposition – incorporating services such as conveyancing, in-house buyer’s agents, and referral partnerships.
US President Donald Trump announced a raft of global tariffs in April, including a 10 per cent tariff on Australian goods. While the fallout to this decision was more muted than anticipated, the move stoked fears of a broader trade war that could slow global growth.
Labor’s Anthony Albanese was re-elected as Australia’s Prime Minister in a landslide victory over then-Coalition leader Peter Dutton. After the election result, the Prime Minister unveiled a new cabinet and outer ministry, with Dr Daniel Mulino MP named as the new Assistant Treasurer (to Treasurer Jim Chalmers) and Minister for Financial Services.
National Australia Bank (NAB) announced it will be gradually closing its Advantedge business. Advantedge, a division of NAB, had been a leading wholesale funder of white label home loans in Australia for over 25 years, distributing through a broad network of mortgage brokers.
Qudos Bank and Bank Australia officially merged, uniting 300,000 customers and creating a banking group, with $18 billion in assets and nearly 900 employees. The merger was part of a broader trend in mutual banking, including Auswide Bank becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of MyState Limited, and G&C Mutual Bank and Unity Bank tying up to form Unity Bank Limited.
The Albanese government confirmed it would bring the expanded First Home Guarantee Scheme forward to 1 October 2025 – three months earlier than originally planned. The scheme would eventually be rebranded under a new name as the 5 per cent Deposit Scheme.
Australia and New Zealand Bank (ANZ) CEO Nuno Matos announced major reforms to the market as part of plans “to better focus on priorities”. Matos would add further clarification in an October update, including plans that ANZ would “materially invest in and train our own mortgage sales force,” increasing the number of branch-based mortgage lenders by 50 per cent.
Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) confirmed mortgage brokers are at the top of the list of its priorities in credit. At the Credit Law 2025 conference, commissioner Alan Kirkland said broking is a “key area of focus” and confirmed the regulator is actively reviewing brokers’ compliance, engaging with aggregators over adherence to best interests obligations.
MFAA CEO Anja Pannek criticised the’ push towards proprietary lending channels in an open letter, as all four majors move to drive home loan growth through branches and digital platforms. She pointed to borrowers choosing brokers in record numbers and also raised concerns about channel conflict, citing cases of under-the-counter branch pricing and broker-declined loans later approved in-branch, warning these practices risk undermining trust in the industry.
The long-awaited Help to Buy shared equity scheme commenced on 5 December, offering eligible low- and middle-income buyers a government contribution of up to 40 per cent of the price of a new home or 30 per cent of an existing property. The scheme started with just two lenders – Bank Australia and CBA – with more expected to join in 2026.
