Masquerade masks, opera singers, spooky candelabras and thousands of atmospheric lights set the scene for the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA) 2026 Awards of Supremacy, which made its long-awaited return to Sydney for the first time in 13 years.
Inside the historic Town Hall in Sydney.
Julian Fayad, founder of Sydney-based asset finance and fintech firm LoanOptions.ai, was among the roughly 500 attendees feeling the moody vibes.
"I have been to a lot of the prior celebrations in the Gold Coast, and I wasn't sure what this year would be like, because they were always really cool and really fancy. I thought the FBAA moving it to Sydney might be a mistake. But this is a great venue," Fayad told Australian Broker. "The setup here and the layout is just insane. I don't think they missed a step. It's pretty cool."
Held at Sydney’s historic Town Hall, the annual celebration brought together brokers, brokerages, lenders, aggregators and industry friends, all dressed to impress in black tie and elaborate masquerade masks. The evening offered a chance to network, celebrate another year of industry excellence and vie for one of 19 coveted awards.
Attendees make their way to the annual celebrations by way of the red carpet.
"The party is to celebrate our industry and recognize people, the award winners and nominees, who are doing really great things in the industry. But it's really just to get people together," Leo Gagic, chief executive officer of the FBAA, told Australian Broker. "And what a great opportunity around networking, getting people together and spending some time together. And I think it's important, particularly in tough times, when people are having some downtime. I don't have hair to let down, but people who do have hair to let down and enjoy that time. That's really important. It's part of what we do; it's part of that community spirit. It's that community piece. And if we can have a bit of fun in the process and celebrate the industry and celebrate people doing great things, then why not?"
Peter White, former FBAA managing director, joined the festivities in a masquerade mask, describing the evening as "pretty spectacular."
"The nighttime [celebration] is that piece about connecting and catching up with people, versus sitting down and learning during the day," said White, who received the FBAA Distinguished Service award in recognition of his 23 years of service at the conference. "And it's the change in theming. I think it's good. You always need to change things up a little bit."
Guests at the annual celebration.
The celebrations followed the industry body's 2026 National Industry Conference (NIC), also held in Sydney. The evening's entertainment featured musical performances, including an opera duet and burlesque-style dancing, from professional performers Josh Robson and Erin Clare. Guests embraced the spooky Halloween atmosphere, dancing, sipping bubbly and enjoying the festivities well into the night.
The evening included live musical performances.
"It's a great night," said Steve Sampson, chief executive officer of non-bank lender Prime Capital. "The FBAA always puts on a great show. But here at the Sydney Town Hall, it's just a magnificent venue: the lights and the candles and the entertainment here are just amazing. The excitement and the vibe is palpable."
James Kemp, relationship manager at outsource Financial in Melbourne and winner of the Aggregation BDM of the Year award, said the vaulted ceilings and theatrical lighting gave the party "a very Hogwarts vibe."
"It's really nice," he said.
Lei "Ashley" Fan, founder, director and mortgage broker of Melbourne-based Skylight Funding Solutions, and winner of the New Finance Broker of the Year award, agreed.
"I thought it was just going to be a generic finance party," Fan said. "But it was actually really, really good."
Party goers, from left: Mark Morris, Melbourne-based investment property consultant at Property Powerhouse; Queensland-based Melissa Le Cornu, managing director at LNE Finance Group; and Garth Davis, founder and chief executive officer of Perth-based brokerage Property Powerhouse.
