The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) is headed for Melbourne.
Brokers, lenders and industry service providers across the country are invited to this year's national conference — themed "Built on Trust. Ready for Tomorrow" — taking place 22 July at the Centrepiece Melbourne Park.
"Against the broader backdrop of where the industry is at, there could not be a more apt theme," Anja Pannek, chief executive officer of the MFAA, told Australian Broker.
"Because, if we think about trust through the lens of mortgage broker market share, it is at an all time record high," the CEO continued, referring to brokers in Australia writing more than 80% of residential home loans. "In our minds, that just highlights the deep trust that Australian consumers, and increasingly business owners, have in their broker," Pannek said.
But that confidence was built during a period of sustained economic pressure, with borrowers navigating higher interest rates, rising living costs, falling property prices and ongoing global uncertainty. But the CEO said this is precisely why brokers play such a pivotal role in Australia's lending landscape.
"The reality is that Australians, whether they're feeling positive on their financial outlook, or they've got concerns on their financial outlook, continue to seek out brokers," Pannek said. "We live in a world where there's more information than ever. And even with the advent of AI, we can research a whole lot of things. But when it comes to those really big life decisions, people want the advice and guidance of an expert.
"Brokers are just part of the DNA of how Australians navigate their financial life," she said.
The 2026 MFAA National Conference promises a full day of networking, professional development and insights from some of the biggest names in finance and broking.
This year's program features an extensive lineup of speakers, including the Hon. Daniel Mulino, assistant treasurer and minister for financial services, ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland, Mortgage Professionals Canada Chief Executive Officer Lauren van den Berg, alongside a range of industry leaders. Breakout sessions will tackle some of the sector's most pressing issues, from emerging technology and AI to cybersecurity, commercial lending and what the broker of the future will look like.
"Every year, we really strive to ensure that the content, the speakers, and the topics that we deliver for our members in industry as part of our national conference really meet the environment, the challenges and opportunities that our members and industry are facing," Pannek explained. "But our members are also operating just in an incredibly dynamic and fast-changing environment. Whether it's regulation with the recent changes coming out of the budgets, or if it's AI and technology, what we want to do is amplify and showcase the wonderful job that members have done on establishing that trust.
"But also pose questions around, how do you embed that trust further?" the CEO continued. "Especially in a more digital world, how do you work with clients who are much more digitally savvy and often think about what they're looking for from you even before they meet you physically? And then, how do you get the balance right between what is truly human and how value is created with a broker working with their clients and empathy as opposed to what people would expect from a digital experience? That's how we're thinking about the conference and bringing all those things together in a very practical way."
For those planning to attend, Pannek encouraged attendees to download the conference app after registering and map out their day ahead of time to make the most of the program.
"We've got a number of absolutely brilliant breakout sessions," she said. "And the MFAA conference is a fantastic opportunity to network with broker partners, lenders from right across the industry outside of your aggregator group."
Beyond the conference sessions, attendees will have the chance to connect with more than 40 industry partners in the exhibition hall before the day culminates with the National Excellence Awards at Crown Melbourne that evening.
Jacqui Cooper is the event's MC. The agenda includes a welcome event the evening before to kick off the conference. The conference program features a conversation between Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services the Hon. Daniel Mulino and Pannek, alongside a presentation from ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland. Attendees will also hear from keynote speakers, including futurist and social researcher Ben Hamer and Daniel Murray.
Across the day, panel discussions and breakout sessions will dive into the issues shaping the industry's future, including the evolving role of technology and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, commercial lending and the future of broking.
"Our breakout sessions are very much unpacking how a broker goes about their business, working with a client, and then how they think about both trust, but also using technology to grow their business further," Pannek said.
"It's going to be a not-to-be-missed event," she added.
