Seven broking founders to watch in Australia in 2026

A medical-only brokerage, for doctors, dentists and vets, that went from launch to 25th in The Adviser's Top 25 Brokerages 2026 in about two years, with $769 million settled in FY25. It says it settled more than $1.28 billion in FY26, and Australian Broker named it a Fast Starter in its Fast Brokerages 2026 list, with growth of 94% over two years.

It was a finalist for Major Independent Brokerage of the Year at the 2026 Australian Broking Awards, and has added a second brand, Exec Finance, for executives and high-net-worth clients. The founders say they use AI in the back office and keep it away from the client conversation, which is a sensible line for a business selling to doctors.

Stevens launched Flint in Sydney in February 2024 with 19 founding brokers, and in January 2025 merged it with Confidence Finance, the brokerage Syed and Curtis Stewart had run since 2015. Stevens is chief executive and Syed managing director. MPA reported that Flint finished FY26 with its biggest settlement month on record, opened five offices in the year, and now runs a support team of about 70 across credit, processing, post-settlement and compliance.

Syed was named the FBAA's national Finance Broker of the Year in 2025, and credits the YouTube channel he posts to four times a week. Flint was a finalist for Brokerage of the Year for firms over 20 staff at the 2026 Australian Mortgage Awards. It isn't yet in The Adviser's or MPA's brokerage rankings, which use FY25 and calendar 2025 figures, and the volumes it quotes are its own, so the scale score is held back for now.

The pitch to brokers is ownership. Under Flint's director model a broker keeps their trail and their clients, and uses Flint's brand and back office to grow. Stevens' line is that most good brokers leave because they own nothing, and it's hard to argue with.

An investment lending specialist that settled more than $1 billion in 2025, according to MPA, which ranked it 13th in its Top Brokerages 2026. It came 24th in The Adviser's Top 25 with $783 million in FY25, and was a winner in Australian Broker's Fast Brokerages 2026.

Most of its lending is for brand-new investment property. Co-founder Lianna Pan is a qualified actuary who built the firm's systems, and the firm now has about 20 writers across five cities.

A former real estate agent who cold-called the country's top brokers to learn the trade, then opened Tusk Finance in Perth in November 2023. In the business's first full financial year he was 47th on MPA's Top 100 Brokers and 24th in The Adviser's Elite Broker ranking, with $187.7 million across 279 loans.

He builds his pipeline through education, with content he says reaches more than 100,000 people a month and a property podcast. Writing close to a loan a day from Subiaco makes the case that you don't need a big-city office to make the Top 100.

Two mates since their teens who were once rival brokers, at Shore Financial and MortgageWorks on one side and Loan Market on the other, and started FRONT Financial together in 2024. Sweeney was 40th on MPA's Top 100 Brokers in 2025, and FRONT was a finalist for New Brokerage of the Year at the 2025 Australian Mortgage Awards.

In 2026 it moved to Finsure's network and opened a Sydney CBD office. The stated goal is to be Australia's leading brokerage, and two years in it's already on a national awards shortlist.

A former medical scientist who started Money Lounge from her Gold Coast home in 2024 and won New Brokerage of the Year at the 2025 Australian Mortgage Awards. She was also the MFAA's Queensland Newcomer of the Year in 2025 and is one of MPA's Elite Women for 2026.

Money Lounge grows through financial education content, with a following of more than 23,000 for @moneywithmaddie. It doesn't publish settlement figures, so the scale score is low, but very few brokerages win a national award this early.

Four co-founders launched Claremont Financial in Richmond in May 2025, and a year later it was named New Office of the Year at the 2026 Australian Broking Awards. O'Sullivan was one of MPA's Rising Stars in 2023, and the firm was also a finalist for best new broker group in AFG's awards.

There are no published volumes yet, so this one is on recognition and speed alone. Four founders splitting one brokerage is either the strongest start on this list or the hardest partnership to keep together, and the next two years will tell.