Healthcare posts strongest growth outlook, construction recovers since December plunge

Agile Market Intelligence tracks broker-forecasted financing demand across Australia’s key industries through the Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending survey.

Capturing insights from February 1 to 24, 2026, broker confidence is strong in the healthcare, financial, and professional services sector. Meanwhile, trade industries record modest to negative growth expectations.

Key stats you need to know

• At +45 loan demand index, the healthcare sector projects the strongest growth outlook.
  
  
• Construction posts modest recovery after its loan demand index grows to +36, up from +34 in December.
  
  
• Demand projections for business loans and asset financing sustain a 5-month growth trajectory.

Healthcare, financial, and professional services sectors expected to grow in the next 3 months

• Financing demand from the healthcare sector is at +45, up from +41 in December.
  
  
• The financial and professional services sectors sustain strong optimism at +39 loan demand indices, respectively.
  
  
• Borrowing demand for construction has picked up, climbing 2 points and now sitting at a +36 loan demand index.

Agile Market Intelligence tracks broker confidence in Australian industries through the loan demand index, which is the difference between the number of brokers expecting increasing and decreasing borrowing requirements.

The healthcare, financial, and professional services sectors, which are among Australia’s largest, all registered strong growth outlooks in January. Healthcare currently sits at a loan demand index of +45, following a gradual upward trend since Q4 in 2025. The financial and insurance services sector also posts steady growth amid minor fluctuations since the final quarter of 2025. Tied with financial services at +39 loan demand index, brokers also project expansion in the professional services sector.

Despite net positive loan demand indices, growth projections are modest for other sectors such as education & training (+8) and utilities (+9). Meanwhile, while wholesale trade sits at +10, retail trade is at -5.

“Sector-specifc constraints seem to be driving growth trajectories. Australia’s large service sectors are registering positive growth outlooks, while trade sectors are signaling weaker borrowing appetites,” said Michael Johnson, Director at Agile Market Intelligence.

Commercial mortgage demand expected to dip, but business and asset financing requirements maintains strong optimism

• Sitting at +32, forecast for commercial mortgage demand posts a sharp, 11-point drop month-on-month.
  
  
• Loan demand index for business and asset financing now at +56 and +42, respectively, registering 5-month highs.

Against the backdrop of RBA rate hike in the first quarter of 2026, demand forecast for commercial mortgage has dipped, as it now sits +32, sliding 11 points since December 2025. Nevertheless, expansion has not entirely stagnated across industries, as business loan demand hit a 5-month high (+56) following stable growth expectations since September. Forecasts on asset financing requirements also climbed 5 index points since December, as it now sits at +42.

“The stable demand forecasts for business loans and asset financing signal that key sectors are decisively expanding, despite tighter policy projections from the RBA,” said Michael Johnson.

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 January 2026, with the survey conducted between 1st to 24th February 2026, with a total usable sample of 391 mortgage, finance and commercial brokers, including 123 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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