First three insight guides focus on partnerships, service expansion and technology ahead of 2026
The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) has released the first three titles in its Business Growth Roundtable Series Insights, a new set of resources intended to support brokers in developing and scaling their businesses in the lead-up to 2026.
The material is based on discussions held during the MFAA’s 2025 Business Growth Roundtable Series, which ran in May and June across Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra. More than 50 brokers from established firms contributed to the sessions, outlining how they are responding to competition, regulatory change, technology shifts and evolving client expectations.
Those contributions have been consolidated into five concise guides that describe how leading brokerages are planning for the next year, adjusting their business models and implementing operational changes.
The three guides released are:
- Business growth through strategic partnerships
- Expanding your client services
- Technology, efficiency and cyber resilience
Each publication sets out practical examples of what high-performing broker businesses are doing in day-to-day operations, how they address common challenges and the specific steps they are taking to support sustainable growth.
The “Business growth through strategic partnerships” guide looks at how brokers are building deeper referral arrangements, working with other brokers and engaging wider professional networks to broaden their client base.
“Expanding your client services” reviews the rising use of specialised and diversified offerings alongside core home loan advice. Areas covered include SMSF lending, commercial and asset finance and property strategy, with a focus on where brokers see unmet client needs and emerging revenue lines.
“Technology, efficiency and cyber resilience” addresses the systems and processes brokers are adopting to improve workflows, lift productivity and bolster cyber security, including the use of artificial intelligence and open banking tools.
According to Melanie Kafka (pictured right), executive of member experience and partnerships at the MFAA, the series highlights the collective experience of the broker sector. “Right across the country, members openly shared their knowledge to support others,” she said. “They are at the coalface of changing markets and shifting client expectations.
“MFAA members talked about what is working well and the lessons they learned along the way. Their willingness to give back means these guides speak to the real world of broking and will help others strengthen their relationships, diversify or expand their services and use technology more effectively.”
Kafka said the guidance is intended to be relevant to brokers across different business models and stages of growth, from new entrants to established owners preparing succession plans.
“We’re thrilled to launch these guides and make them available to our members as they prepare for what’s certain to be a busy year in 2026,” she added.
The MFAA plans to revisit the themes of the guides at Looking Ahead 2026, its virtual professional development event on Feb. 10. Several brokers who attended the roundtables will sit on a panel to outline how they are applying the strategies in their own practices.
The same topics will then feature in the MFAA Member Breakfast Series in the following weeks, allowing brokers in local markets to engage in further discussion on business growth and operational improvements.
Two further guides in the five-part series – “People, culture & succession planning” and “Professionalism, standards and trust” – are scheduled for release next month.
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