Total business loan book reach $929 billion for top 10 ADIs, mid-tiers register volatile momentum

According to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), total business loan book swelled to 929 billion in August, registering a $4 billion month-on-month expansion. Major banks continue to carry the majority of new business debt, while smaller Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) go through a volatile redistribution of the remaining market share. Agile Market Intelligence has fleshed out key insights from APRA’s publicly available dataset to spot current trends in the business financing market.

Key stats you need to know

• Business loans rose to $929.58 billion in August, rising from $925 billion in July. 

• Seven of the ten largest ADIs posted positive growth in business lending portfolios.   

• The big four banks steadily fund an overwhelming majority of business loans; NAB leads the pack with a loan book of $251.05 billion, followed by CBA ($217.49 billion), Westpac ($188.24 billion), and ANZ ($150.47 billion).   

Majors maintain strong growth percentages, while mid-tier ADIs show mixed performance 

• NAB’s loan book grew by 0.7% to $251 billion in August, holding the largest chunk of business loans among the top 10 lenders.

• Three of the six mid-tier ADI sustain loan book contraction, as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) dips by -3.33%, Rabobank Australia Limited by -0.23%, and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited by -0.70%. 

• Bank of China, with a total business loan book of $20.44 billion, exhibits the strongest growth percentage of 2.75%.

According to APRA’s most recent data, business loans funded by Australia’s top ten ADIs rose by $4 billion in August and now sit at $929 billion. Of these, NAB holds outstanding loans amounting to $251 billion, up from $249 billion the month prior. Australia’s largest bank, CBA, trails billions of dollars behind, with a total loan book of $217 billion.

Among the majors, month-on-month growth rate fluctuations are minimal, with CBA posting the most modest growth in August at 0.02%, and Westpac registering the strongest performance at 1.07%. Meanwhile, the mid-tier ADIs’ performance strength is split into steep growths and dips. Bank of China posted an impressive expansion of 2.75%, followed by Macquarie at 1.72%. In contrast, SMBC dipped by -3.33%, and Rabobank and Bendigo continue to see contractions in their respective loan books.

“Major banks hold relatively more mature and diversified portfolios, and this is reflected in the generally stable growth rate in the past year. The mixed performance among mid-tier ADIs may reflect changes in strategy in an attempt to capture a larger market share,” said Michael Johnson, Director at Agile Market Intelligence.

Foreign lenders signal volatile growth performances 

• After the contraction of its loan book in July, Bank of China posted a strong 2.75% growth in August, capturing $20.44 billion share of business capital funded by top 10 ADIs.  

• Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) loses momentum, as its loan book contracts by -3.33% in August, the sharpest dip among the top 10 ADIs.   

• MUFG Bank Ltd. grew by 0.11% in August, a modest expansion in comparison to its 3.63% growth in July.
  

In APRA’s recent reporting, Bank of China registered a strong recovery from last month’s portfolio contraction, as it rose by 2.75% in August and now holds a total of 20.44 billion worth of business loans. Meanwhile, SMBC has lost steam, as the Japanese lender saw its loan book contract by -3.33%. MUFG, which registered notable expansion in July (3.63%), continues to grow its portfolio, despite lagging significantly at an expansion rate of 0.11%.

“Foreign-owned ADIs may be heavily impacted by moderate changes in client demand, due to the less diverse nature of their client mix. Volatile growth rates posted in the recent months may reflect client response to strategies that may or may not have worked in the bank’s favor,” said Michael Johnson.

About the data

Figures in this article were drawn by Agile Market Intelligence from APRA’s monthly ADI statistics to August 2025. The dataset covers total loans to non-financial businesses across Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADI). For this analysis, Agile plotted publicly available data to show movements in loan books and market share to identify the top 10 business lenders.

Agile also conducts Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending, 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).