Manufacturing demand surges 14 points while construction growth plateaus

Agile Market Intelligence’s Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending survey monitors forecasted market demand on different industry sectors, as reported by active commercial brokers. The latest results reveal financing demand from the manufacturing sector will continue to rise, and key industries, including media and telecommunications, arts and recreation, and transportation, are showing the largest movements in growth expectations. 

Meanwhile, the construction industry which has enjoyed increasing forecast demand has remained positive, but brokers predict the demand will stay the same in the next 3 months, rather than anticipating an increase.

Key stats you need to know

• Brokers' expectations on demand for business loans and equipment or asset financing lean decisively positive, at +58 and +52, respectively.
  
  
• Manufacturing forecasted to experience sustained growth, with 41% of brokers now anticipating an upswing in financing applications, rising from 28% in July.
  
  
• Net positive forward-looking demand remains across all industries in August 2025.

Financing needs expected to increase across loan types

• Uptick in expected applications for business loans evident, with broker net positive sentiment (NPS) sitting at +58 in August, rising from +44 the previous month.
  
  
• Forecast demand for commercial mortgages remains high at +43.
  
  
• Equipment and asset financing records spike in anticipated demand this month.

According to the most recent survey results, brokers continue to register net positive sentiments on expected growth in business loans, commercial mortgages, and equipment or asset financing needs. Compared to August 2024, the survey is seeing significantly higher prospective demands across all loan types in August of this year. 

Business loans registered the highest net share of brokers expecting financing demand at +58, followed by equipment or asset financing at +52. Meanwhile, commercial mortgage appetite lagged slightly at +43, sustaining a decreasing demand forecast since last month’s +45 and June’s +47. Demand for commercial mortgages has accelerated over the past 12 months and has now started to plateau.

“This month’s data highlights key differences in how the business landscape currently looks: sectors tied to people and production are looking into expanding, while property-backed lending remains under pressure,” said Michael Johnson, Director at Agile Market Intelligence.

Demand forecast climbs for manufacturing, construction industry increase slows

•  Increase in demand index for manufacturing, now at +39, is on a 4-month streak, with 41% of brokers forecasting an increase compared to only 28% last month.
  
  
• The construction industry sees cooling demand for financing at +30 index, where 50% of brokers forecast this demand to stay the same for the next 3 months.
  
  
• More brokers expect growth in financing demand across accommodation, arts and recreation, manufacturing, and media and telecommunications industries.

Forecasted demand from manufacturing continues to rise, with 4 in 10 (41%) brokers expecting more from the industry to secure loans in the next three months. Growth projections from the industry have been climbing since May 2025, after a sharp decline in April of the same year, when other industries took the spotlight in terms of growth expectations. 

Forward-looking demand from construction also remains strong, with 4 in 10 (40%) brokers seeing growing demand from the industry. However, this represents a steep drop from July, when 5 in 10 brokers expressed the same sentiment.

While a relatively small industry, recent broker sentiment also shows a significantly strong rebound in loan demand expectations from those engaged in the arts and recreation sector. With only 9% of brokers previously forecasting demand in July, growth expectations have now more than quadrupled at 43%. 

“The increase in prospective financing demands across many key industries is a strong indicator that businesses are positioning themselves for expansion,” 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 August 2025, with the survey conducted between 1st to 23rd September 2025, with a total usable sample of 265 mortgage, finance and commercial brokers, including 129 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).