Cracks in the pillars?

The major banks have been busy redrawing the blueprints of their mortgage strategies recently, as they look to capture market growth. But while the four pillars of the economy work to reinforce their positions, the structural integrity of their third-party propositions is facing intense pressure.

In our cover story (page 20), we examine who is building the sturdiest broker support and where the critical cracks are starting to show, as we delve into the findings of the Third-Party Lending Report 2026.

With a financial year having drawn to a close and a new one just started, many people are now thinking about the year to come and how they’re going to dominate the financial year 2027. Key among these considerations is how they’re going to be growing their businesses and building scalable operations. For many, finding the right operational support and personal branding could be the answer. But how do you grow from a one-man band to become a leading brokerage? Two of our features this month take a look at how others have been doing it.

On page 8, we’ve partnered with NAB to unpack how Smartmove – Professional Mortgage Advisors (part of Viridian Financial Group) has scaled to become one of Australia’s leading independent brokerages. And, over on page 28, we’ve partnered up with Blank Financial to learn how founder Bernard Desmond is backing a different approach to broker growth and helping brokers keep their focus on being client-facing.

Meanwhile, over on page 32, we look at how debt consolidation is increasing in popularity as the cost of living bites and how this can be a beneficial move for consumers and small-business owners alike.

Whether it’s insights into how broking can be improved on page 4, the Elite Broker profile with South Australia/Northern Territory Better Business Awards winner Melissa Burt on page 14, or New Broker Katherine Looke on page 11, or key takeaways from our recent Women in Finance Network Lunch on page 40, there’s heaps of content that will help you reinforce your offering.

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Adviser, and do reach out if there’s anything you’d like to see included in future editions: [email protected].