MFAA powers forward, sets 2026 agenda
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THE MFAA has again been highly active in representing the interests of its rapidly growing membership, launching the Mortgage Finance Professional Australia designation and driving more Australians to engage with mortgage brokers through its largest-ever national consumer campaign.
The association’s activities in 2025 highlight how the data-led and member-focused peak body has remained focused on outcomes for brokers and their clients, and how a 16,000-strong membership gives the industry a more powerful voice with policymakers and regulators.
“This year has shown the real strength of our profession,” says MFAA CEO Anja Pannek. “As more Australians turn to brokers, we’re focused on ensuring our members have the tools, education and representation to serve clients’ needs with confidence.
“We’re preparing for ‘Looking Ahead 2026’ in February, our not-to-be-missed virtual professional development day. The event includes an economic outlook, a housing market update, regulatory and compliance insights and a broker panel on business growth strategies to set our members up for success in the year ahead.
“This event will be followed by a series of Member Breakfasts across the country to help members connect and prepare for 2026.”
The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) is the leading professional association for the mortgage and finance broking industry and has more than 16,000 members. Our membership spans stakeholders from across the mortgage and finance broking industry. 97% of our members are mortgage and finance brokers. We also represent aggregators, lenders, mortgage managers, mortgage insurers and other suppliers to the industry. Our purpose is to empower our members to prosper and thrive, ensuring Australians benefit from competition and choice. We support our members and the industry through advocacy, education and promotion of the broker value proposition to consumers.
ANJA PANNEK, MFAA
Membership and market share growth
In July, MFAA membership reached 16,172, up 5.17% on the previous year, a major milestone in the association's over-40-year history. With membership representing the vast majority of industry and key industry participants, the MFAA is in a strong position to advocate when speaking with government, regulators and key stakeholders.
Australian borrowers continue to choose brokers for their expertise and service. Mortgage broker market share of all new residential lending reached a new high of 76.8% in the March 2025 quarter, according to Cotality research. This record was broken in the June 2025 quarter, with market share hitting 77.6%.
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“The MFAA’s advocacy this year has been about ensuring regulation works for both brokers and their clients – practical, fair and focused on outcomes”
Published 17 Nov 2025
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Collaboration with the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) amplified small business perspectives, while a formal partnership with CAFBA strengthened the associations’ voices on matters of mutual interest.
“When brokers speak with one voice, backed by evidence and insight, policymakers listen,” Pannek says. “The MFAA’s advocacy this year has been about ensuring regulation works for both brokers and their clients – this means practical, fair and focused on outcomes.”
The MFAA, with industry support, commissioned Deloitte to research and produce The Value of Mortgage and Finance Broking 2025, a report released in February 2025. This quantified the value of the broking industry’s contribution to the Australian economy at $4.1 billion. It also supported more than 37,000 jobs. The report highlighted that brokers are accredited on average with 23 lenders, that 45% of owner-occupier broker clients are first home buyers, and that the best interests duty has deepened consumer trust. Notably, brokers spend 11% of their time educating clients.
The Mortgage Finance Professional Australia (MFPA) designation
In July 2025, the association launched the Mortgage Finance Professional Australia (MFPA) designation, developed with RMIT Online. It is the first professional designation and the first university-level qualification for mortgage brokers in Australia.
The program combines core modules in Personal Leadership, Customer Engagement and Business Management, with the choice of two electives at present – SMSF Lending, or Financial Analysis for Mortgage Finance Professionals. Further electives will be released.
The MFPA recognises experienced MFAA Accredited Brokers who demonstrate excellence and a commitment to professional standards in education, conduct, ethics and service.
“The launch of the MFPA designation is an important step forward for our industry,” Pannek says. “This is about setting a new benchmark for professional standards for experienced MFAA brokers.”
Practical resources that help brokers help clients
Translating policy into practice, the MFAA released the ‘Home Buying Schemes in Australia’ guide in May 2025, a single reference that provides details of all federal, state and territory programs. With brokers facilitating the majority of first home buyer scheme places, this guide is regularly updated and helps members advise accurately as programs change.
The association also launched its Micro-skills learning series for time-poor brokers. The first short course, Scam Awareness and Prevention, provides practical tools to identify and prevent scams that target broker businesses and clients.
Promoting the value of MFAA Accredited Brokers
Between 29 May and 31 July 2025, the MFAA ran its largest national consumer campaign across Facebook, the Google Display Network, YouTube and LiSTNR. This reached an estimated 3.9 million people and delivered more than 21.4 million impressions.
Crucially, it converted attention into action, driving over 324,000 visits to the Find a Broker website, with strong on-site engagement. The message was simple and consistent: MFAA Accredited Brokers provide expertise, choice and service at every stage of a borrower’s property journey.
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Data-driven advocacy
The MFAA’s advocacy continues to be active and targeted. In FY25, it held more than 40 meetings with government and regulators, lodged 19 submissions and appeared at two inquiry hearings.
One of these was the parliamentary inquiry into the NSW Payroll Tax, where the association joined other key stakeholders in arguing for changes to contractor provisions affecting small broking businesses. MFAA submissions also focused on a fair and sustainable Compensation Scheme of Last Resort, expansion of the Consumer Data Right, scams prevention, and credit reporting and homeownership settings.
With commercial lending through brokers doubling since 2020, lenders are racing to provide the digital origination tools brokers need to capture growth opportunities
A year of growth, advocacy and the creation of a new benchmark in broker professionalism, 2025 has been transformative for the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia as it prepares for an even more impactful 2026
“The launch of the MFPA designation is an important step forward for our industry. This is about setting a new benchmark for professional standards for experienced MFAA brokers”
The focus for 2026 Following a series of interest rate cuts this year, and with consumer confidence slowly rebuilding, the broker role will remain critical to delivering choice, driving competition and providing transparency as Australians navigate their homebuying journeys and business growth aspirations.
Pannek says the MFAA will continue to advocate for fit-for-purpose regulation, provide learning pathways that build broker capability, and invest in research and activities that promote the important role brokers play in guiding borrowers.
To help brokers hit the ground running next year, Looking Ahead 2026 will run online on Tuesday 10 February, 11:30 am to 3:00 pm (AEDT), via a virtual portal. The free member program offers 3.5 CPD hours and features economic and property market insights, regulatory and compliance updates, a broker panel on growth strategies, and a preview of key MFAA initiatives in the year ahead.
State-based Member Breakfasts will follow. “Member Breakfasts are a not-to-be-missed event, giving brokers a forum to connect, compare notes and turn ideas into action to set themselves up for success in 2026,” says Pannek.
“Our members are very focused on strengthening their businesses and delivering results for their clients.
“Our goal for 2026 is to build on the momentum of the past years, to ensure regulatory settings are fit for purpose, our members’ voice is heard, and that our members are positioned to take advantage of future opportunities through insights, research and meaningful professional development right throughout the year.”
ANJA PANNEK, MFAA
Education and community ‘Looking Ahead 2025’ attracted almost 1,600 members to a live virtual PD program that combined economic insights, regulatory perspectives and practical broker discussion.
Thousands more brokers engaged through member forums, regional roadshows, commercial lending workshops and Excellence Awards events. The refreshed MFAA brand and website improved access to tools, research and events, while keeping the consumer experience front of mind.
The ‘She Means Business’ pilot program, developed by COSBOA and funded by the federal government, is supporting selected MFAA member businesses through mentoring and capability building to help lift gender diversity in small business leadership.