Brokers see more demand for business and commercial loans; legislations and economic disruptions as main economic concerns

In the latest Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending, Agile Market Intelligence collected data about factors affecting brokerage and broker-forecasted financing needs to provide a glimpse into the Australian market in the next three months. For the first few months of 2026, there is a projected appetite for various financing types with slight preference for business loans and commercial mortgages. In addition, worry over external factors has died down in the last few months of 2025, suggesting brokers are adopting a more positive outlook on the market as the new year begins.

Key stats you need to know

• Business loans and commercial mortgages are expected to see an increase in demand for the first few months of 2026
  
  
• Macro concerns remain to be the most worrisome for brokers in the next three months.
  
  
• Cashflows, on the other hand, is the least of the concerns for brokers as of December 2025.

Increased demand for business loans and commercial mortgages

• Brokers expect financing demands will increase for both business loans and commercial mortgages in the next 3 months.
  
  
• The market demand index for business loans rose to +53 in December 2025.

Agile Market Intelligence used a market demand index to track broker-forecasted financing demands for commercial clients. The index is calculated by taking brokers who expect an increase in financing requirements, and subtracting them by the segment of brokers expecting a decrease in loan demand.

For business loans, the overall market index landing at +53 shows steadily increasing positive demand. Similarly, commercial mortgages are more sought after (+42) following a slight dip in October and November. A strong appetite still remains for equipment or asset finance, with a market index of +36. However, the numbers show a slight decrease in December 2025. These numbers imply that various financing types are in demand in the market presently, with a significant preference for business loans (e.g. secured, unsecured, etc.).

External factors as leading concern for 50% of brokers

• Economic disruptions and legislation are both cited as top issues, yet both show that fewer brokers are flagging as significant concerns.
  
  
• 1 in 2 brokers are worried about either economic disruptions and/or legislation.
  
  
• Cashflow for staff and creditors was the only factor to have an increased share of concerned brokers compared to August 2025, worrying over 1 in 4 brokers.

Considering all but one factor saw an increased share of worried brokers, the data suggests that brokers have planned accordingly for the changes coming in 2026. This, therefore, shows confidence in their abilities to tackle the challenges in the next few months. In addition to this, the most worrisome factors for brokers remain to be those out of their control, such as market and lender movement.

Coming from a sharp spike last August 2025, the steep decrease in worry for regulations (from 63% to 50%) implies that the announcement and subsequent implementation of new legislation this year will benefit brokers and their business. 50% of brokers are concerned about economic disruptions and regulatory impacts, the biggest concerns across the board. The third most significant worry for brokers is the performance of lenders (45%), an area which is also impacted by trade disruptions and legislative changes. By contrast, the least pressing issue appears to be payments from commissions and cashflow for staff and creditors, both concerning 28% of brokers.

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About the research

The Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending report is a community-driven benchmarking initiative capturing the experiences of commercial and asset finance brokers across Australia. The latest edition captures experiences for applications submitted throughout December 2025, with the survey conducted between 1st and 25th of January 2026, with a total usable sample of 402 mortgage, finance and commercial brokers, including 130 active commercial brokers. The report includes data across asset finance, business loans, and commercial mortgages, and is conducted by Agile Market Intelligence in partnership with the Commercial & Asset Finance Brokers Association (CAFBA).

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