Media
Milestones
2017
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Brighten Home Loans launched
2017
Inaugural $365m public residential mortgage-backed security transaction | Strengthened ESG commitments with national accreditations
2021
Expansion of distribution and credit teams | Buildout of broker network across the eastern seaboard | Expansion of funding platforms
2022
Proprietary loan origination system launched | Further expansion of aggregator channels
2023
Largest RMBS transaction to date with total issuance above $3bn | Expansion into commercial lending
2024
Further expansion of distribution channels, reaching 19,700 brokers Australia-wide
2025
Inside Brighten’s rise as the non-bank lender of choice
Before launching a new product, updating policies or rolling out a digital tool, non-bank lender Brighten does something radical: it talks to brokers. Not to sell. Not to incentivise. But to listen. The result? A solution-based lender built for brokers.
At a time when some lenders are narrowing their focus or relying solely on automation, Brighten is taking a different route – building breadth into its offerings while ensuring brokers and customers feel heard and supported.
“We actively engage brokers in monthly surveys and receive a high response rate,” says Jason Azzopardi, Brighten’s CEO. “We then go back to brokers and understand their wants and needs – and then build that into our go-forward strategy.”
By blending personalised service with a robust digital backbone, Brighten has managed to stand out in an industry often defined by a tick-box approach. With a comprehensive suite of loan products for everyone from small business owners to savvy property investors, the lender has aggressively expanded its reach, adding thousands of brokers to its platform. Behind this growth is a clear strategy: invest in technology that makes the brokers’ jobs easier, listen carefully to their feedback and never lose sight of the human element that underpins trust in financial services.
At the heart of Brighten’s growth strategy lies product diversity.
“What sets us apart is we have a solution for every Australian – whether you’re building your investment property portfolio or your dream home, whether you’re a self-employed individual or an expat living overseas, we have a product designed for you,” says Azzopardi.
To support its broad customer base, Brighten has continued to expand and refine its product suite.
“We’ve introduced a vacant-land product for buyers wanting to lock in land availability in competitive markets or families securing land today with plans to build when they’re ready.”
The lender hasn’t stopped at residential home loans. Azzopardi highlights Brighten’s recent expansion into markets many competitors haven’t fully addressed.
“We’ve gone into the commercial sector with dedicated products for people who want to buy factories for their businesses or other commercial properties,” he adds. “We’ve introduced Brighten Lift® – a short-term asset lending product, which requires no income documentation, making it accessible for SMEs seeking fast, hassle-free funding.”
Spotlight
Brighten is an Australian owned, based and regulated non-bank lender with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Manila. Brighten is a full-service non-bank lender, responsible for the origination, underwriting, servicing and funding of its mortgage portfolio. It has well-established warehouse-funding arrangements with multiple Top Tier Banks, three public RMBS programmes and a wholesale credit fund to provide further funding diversification. Brighten offers a range of competitive Full Doc, Alt Doc, Expat, Non-Resident, Bridging, Construction and Commercial products to borrowers.
Company Profile
2017
FOUNDED
$3bn
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
19,700
accredited brokers
120+
STAFF
15+
NUMber of products
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
26
CAREER SNAPSHOT
Former chief financial officer at Resimac
Leadership roles at Uno Home Loans, Macquarie Bank and Bankwest
Jason Azzopardi
Chief executive officer at Brighten
How Brighten’s tech-driven and broker-centric approach has powered rapid growth
Read on
JASON AZZOPARDI, BRIGHTEN
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Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
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2011
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Years of experience
26
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
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While product range creates appeal, Brighten’s technological infrastructure is the foundation for its service delivery model. The company has invested significantly in systems that streamline processes for brokers and end customers.
“We’ve upgraded our broker portal, allowing them to track deals from application through to settlement in real time,” says Azzopardi. “Don’t worry about calling us, don’t worry about emailing us; a simple login to our cloud-based platform which we built in-house on Salesforce, and brokers have visibility.”
This focus on reducing friction points led to the implementation of NextGen’s ApplyOnline®, a platform widely used in the Australian mortgage market.
“We recognised that gap in our service offering to brokers, and in our never-ending quest to be easy to deal with, we partnered with NextGen in November last year,” Azzopardi notes.
Brighten has also developed customer-facing technology with the same commitment to simplicity and efficiency.
“We’ve also upgraded our service portal that customers use post-settlement,” Azzopardi says. “The new portal has many more features to provide a seamless experience.”
Azzopardi emphasises that relationships are at the core of Brighten’s operations.
“Brighten’s success has always been built on our people,” he states. “The team we’ve assembled is market-leading in terms of broker relationships and service.”
The human element provides expertise that technology alone cannot deliver, particularly when handling complex lending scenarios.
“Our credit team in Sydney is thoroughly experienced in complex issues, which means they can help brokers get deals across the line,” says Azzopardi. “Our BDMs across Australia are very responsive to brokers and are a key pillar of Brighten’s success.”
This emphasis on personal connections and expertise doesn’t contradict Brighten’s focus on technological advancement; instead, Azzopardi sees technology as amplifying human capabilities.
“All our teams are backed by technology. Our strategy is to use technology as an enabler,” he explains. “It helps us operate more efficiently and deliver better responses to our customers.”
With brokers originating over 75% of home loans in Australia, Brighten has designed its business model to ensure minimal friction when they use the lender’s products and technology.
“We’re continuing to invest in our core technology to sustainably scale the business to deliver Brighten’s mantra to be easy to deal with,” Azzopardi says. “We’re doing that very strategically to ensure we’re providing the greatest benefit to our customers and our broker partners.”
“What sets us apart is we have a solution for every Australian – whether you’re building your investment property portfolio or your dream home, whether you’re a self-employed individual or an expat living overseas”
“We’re going to launch our SMSF product this year. With that, there won’t be another lender in Australia that has a product Brighten doesn’t offer”
1999
2003
2007
2015
2020
2021
Joins NAB as executive broker distribution
2021
Becomes head of private wealth north at Westpac
2020
Appointed head of asset finance at CBA
2015
Named captain of the Waratahs
2007
Named vice-captain of Australia's Rugby World Cup team
2003
Waugh debuts as a professional rugby player with the Waratahs; makes Test debut with the Wallabies
1999
Milestones
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Published 30 Jun 2025
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Technology as the enabler
Balancing human and digital elements
The company’s growth trajectory includes expanding broker access through strategic partnerships.
Earlier in the year, Brighten joined Mortgage Choice’s lending panel – and there are more partnerships under discussion.
“We’re going to continue expanding into the broker network through national aggregator partnerships. Product development is also going well,” Azzopardi says.
“We’re going to launch our SMSF product this year. With that, there won’t be another lender in Australia that has a product Brighten doesn’t offer,” he says. “SMSF lending has a reputation as difficult to understand, which is exactly why Brighten’s ‘easy-to-deal-with’ approach will have extra value for brokers.”
Azzopardi says this comprehensive approach to product development aligns with the company’s goals for continued expansion.
“There’s a lot of innovation, whether it be technology, product or people. We’re very excited about building on the pillars we have so far and continuing to grow into the future.”
The company’s growth is a product not just of algorithms and APIs but of a very human kind of intelligence: knowing how to listen.
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More partnerships and new products in the works
JASON AZZOPARDI, BRIGHTEN
ACCOLADES
Australian Broker 5-Star Mortgage Innovator Award 2023, 2024, 2025
MFAA Diversity and Inclusion Award national finalist 2022
AMA Non-Bank of the Year Excellence Award 2023, 2024
The company’s growth trajectory includes expanding broker access through strategic partnerships.
Earlier in the year, Brighten joined Mortgage Choice’s lending panel – and there are more partnerships under discussion.
“We’re going to continue expanding into the broker network through national aggregator partnerships. Product development is also going well,” Azzopardi says.
“We’re going to launch our SMSF product this year. With that, there won’t be another lender in Australia that has a product Brighten doesn’t offer,” he says. “SMSF lending has a reputation as difficult to understand, which is exactly why Brighten’s ‘easy-to-deal-with’ approach will have extra value for brokers.”
Azzopardi says this comprehensive approach to product development aligns with the company’s goals for continued expansion.
“There’s a lot of innovation, whether it be technology, product or people. We’re very excited about building on the pillars we have so far and continuing to grow into the future.”
The company’s growth is a product not just of algorithms and APIs but of a very human kind of intelligence: knowing how to listen.
“We’re continuing to invest in our core technology to sustainably scale the business to deliver Brighten’s mantra to be easy to deal with,” Azzopardi says. “We’re doing that very strategically to ensure we’re providing the greatest benefit to our customers and our broker partners.”
“Our credit team in Sydney is thoroughly experienced in complex issues, which means they can help brokers get deals across the line,” says Azzopardi. “Our BDMs across Australia are very responsive to brokers and are a key pillar of Brighten’s success.”
This emphasis on personal connections and expertise doesn’t contradict Brighten’s focus on technological advancement; instead, Azzopardi sees technology as amplifying human capabilities.
“All our teams are backed by technology. Our strategy is to use technology as an enabler,” he explains. “It helps us operate more efficiently and deliver better responses to our customers.”
With brokers originating over 75% of home loans in Australia, Brighten has designed its business model to ensure minimal friction when they use the lender’s products and technology.
“We’re going to launch our SMSF product this year. With that, there won’t be another lender in Australia that has a product Brighten doesn’t offer”
Azzopardi emphasises that relationships are at the core of Brighten’s operations.
“Brighten’s success has always been built on our people,” he states. “The team we’ve assembled is market-leading in terms of broker relationships and service.”
The human element provides expertise that technology alone cannot deliver, particularly when handling complex lending scenarios.
Balancing human and digital elements
While product range creates appeal, Brighten’s technological infrastructure is the foundation for its service delivery model. The company has invested significantly in systems that streamline processes for brokers and end customers.
“We’ve upgraded our broker portal, allowing them to track deals from application through to settlement in real time,” says Azzopardi. “Don’t worry about calling us, don’t worry about emailing us; a simple login to our cloud-based platform which we built in-house on Salesforce, and brokers have visibility.”
This focus on reducing friction points led to the implementation of NextGen’s ApplyOnline®, a platform widely used in the Australian mortgage market.
“We recognised that gap in our service offering to brokers, and in our never-ending quest to be easy to deal with, we partnered with NextGen in November last year,” Azzopardi notes.
Brighten has also developed customer-facing technology with the same commitment to simplicity and efficiency.
“We’ve also upgraded our service portal that customers use post-settlement,” Azzopardi says. “The new portal has many more features to provide a seamless experience.”
Technology as the enabler
At the heart of Brighten’s growth strategy lies product diversity.
“What sets us apart is we have a solution for every Australian – whether you’re building your investment property portfolio or your dream home, whether you’re a self-employed individual or an expat living overseas, we have a product designed for you,” says Azzopardi.
To support its broad customer base, Brighten has continued to expand and refine its product suite.
“We’ve introduced a vacant-land product for buyers wanting to lock in land availability in competitive markets or families securing land today with plans to build when they’re ready.”
The lender hasn’t stopped at residential home loans. Azzopardi highlights Brighten’s recent expansion into markets many competitors haven’t fully addressed.
“We’ve gone into the commercial sector with dedicated products for people who want to buy factories for their businesses or other commercial properties,” he adds. “We’ve introduced Brighten Lift® – a short-term asset lending product, which requires no income documentation, making it accessible for SMEs seeking fast, hassle-free funding.”
“What sets us apart is we have a solution for every Australian – whether you’re building your investment property portfolio or your dream home, whether you’re a self-employed individual or an expat living overseas”
JASON AZZOPARDI, BRIGHTEN
Before launching a new product, updating policies or rolling out a digital tool, non-bank lender Brighten does something radical: it talks to brokers. Not to sell. Not to incentivise. But to listen. The result? A solution-based lender built for brokers.
At a time when some lenders are narrowing their focus or relying solely on automation, Brighten is taking a different route – building breadth into its offerings while ensuring brokers and customers feel heard and supported.
“We actively engage brokers in monthly surveys and receive a high response rate,” says Jason Azzopardi, Brighten’s CEO. “We then go back to brokers and understand their wants and needs – and then build that into our go-forward strategy.”
By blending personalised service with a robust digital backbone, Brighten has managed to stand out in an industry often defined by a tick-box approach. With a comprehensive suite of loan products for everyone from small business owners to savvy property investors, the lender has aggressively expanded its reach, adding thousands of brokers to its platform. Behind this growth is a clear strategy: invest in technology that makes the brokers’ jobs easier, listen carefully to their feedback and never lose sight of the human element that underpins trust in financial services.
Inside Brighten’s rise as the non-bank lender of choice
Spotlight
Published 30 Jun 2025