Real estate, healthcare, and financial services have highest loan demand outlook

Agile Market Intelligence’s Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending survey monitors forecasted market demand in different industry sectors for the next 3 months, as reported by active commercial brokers. 

The latest survey results reveal that real estate, utilities, and financial services are recovering industries with an increasing borrowing appetite. By contrast, trade and production industries such as mining and manufacturing are unlikely to apply for loans in the next few months. 

Key stats you need to know

• After a dip last October 2025, the real estate industry shows the highest financing demand at +47.
  
  
• Two service industries, namely healthcare alongside financial and insurance services, are among the sectors with a strong demand outlook.
  
  
• ‘Arts and recreation’ saw a steep decline in demand forecast.

Demand for real estate loans expected to increase

• Real estate had the highest demand index score of +47, following a positively increasing trend since a dip last October 2025.
  
  
• Various industries are recovering from significant demand losses since October and November 2025. Specifically, these are the real estate, utilities, financial and insurance services, and media and telecommunications sectors.

To calculate the market demand index, we subtracted the portion of brokers expecting increased demand in the next three months from those expecting decreased demand. The following chart reveals the industries with the strongest demand as well as those with positive upward trends. Among the various industries, real estate was at the top with the highest index at +47. Following this is the healthcare industry with a +40 market demand, still strong despite having seen a decrease since November 2025. The industry with the least demand is the media and telecommunications sector (+8 demand index); however, it is slowly gaining positive traction. 

“We can see demand gaining traction in industries which fluctuated and dipped last year,” said Michael Johnson, Director at Agile Market Intelligence. “Implying that these sectors have recovered and are potentially looking to expand their businesses now in 2026.”

Brokers expect the least demand from the arts and recreation industry

• Arts and recreation has the lowest market demand forecast at -20, dropping sharply from the previous month. The sector is no stranger to volatile demand forecasts, with brokers historically reporting significant fluctuations.
  
  
• Accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and arts and recreation industries saw the steepest dips since November 2025.

Other industries that tend to be more consumer-facing and discretionary, however, are beginning the year with decreasing and even negative demand forecasts. The arts and recreation industry is predicted to be the least likely to apply for loans this time, seeing a steep dip since November 2025 (+0). Retail trade follows with the second-lowest demand forecast at 0. Despite the remaining industries still seeing positive indices (+6 for accommodation and food services, +11 for manufacturing, and +14 for mining), the demand has decreased steeply compared to their scores last November. 

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 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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