MA Financial Posts 44% AUM Growth and Lending Surge in Volatile 1Q26

Robust AUM Growth Amid Asset Sales

MA Financial Group (ASX:MAF) delivered a standout first quarter for FY26, with assets under management (AUM) climbing 44% year-on-year to $14.8 billion. This growth comes despite a 3% decline over the quarter, primarily due to the sale process of the Marion shopping centre and the recent $103 million sale of Corrimal shopping centre at a 17% premium to book value. The group emphasised that these asset realisations will have only an immaterial impact on FY26 revenue, reflecting the nature of these single client mandates.

The group’s asset management division saw strong transactional activity, supporting both performance and transaction fees. Notably, the MA Redcape Hotel Fund is actively expanding, with proposals to acquire additional hotels and a targeted equity raise of up to $100 million, which has attracted strong investor interest. Meanwhile, the MA Marina Fund increased its portfolio with the acquisition of the Gold Coast City Marina, expanding its holdings to approximately $500 million, the largest marina portfolio in Australia.

MA Financial also took a significant step into the New Zealand market, establishing an office in Auckland to support asset management and Finsure’s growing presence. The group’s first major New Zealand investment was the acquisition of a portfolio of 14 iconic hospitality venues in Queenstown under the MA New Zealand Growth Fund. This move aligns with the group’s diversification strategy amid ongoing global uncertainty.

Lending Businesses Drive Momentum

Finsure, the group's mortgage aggregation and technology platform, reported managed loans of $179 billion as of 28 February 2026, marking a 27% increase over the prior year. March saw record monthly gross loan applications of $11 billion, a 22% year-on-year rise. The platform’s broker network grew by 8% year-on-year to 4,269 brokers, reflecting solid expansion in distribution capability.

MA Money, the group’s residential mortgage business, exhibited even more dramatic growth, with its loan book soaring 138% year-on-year to $6.2 billion. The loan book expanded by $1 billion over the quarter alone, underscoring the strong momentum as the business scales rapidly. The Middle technology platform also continues to gain traction, now processing over $1 billion in home-loan applications weekly, cementing its role as a key efficiency tool in the mortgage industry.

Corporate Advisory and Market Positioning

Despite geopolitical volatility driven by the ongoing Middle East conflict, MA Financial’s corporate advisory arm maintained a healthy transaction pipeline. Recent mandates include acting as sale advisor to Australian Strategic Materials and Eptec Group’s divestment of its defence solutions business, alongside joint lead management of a $55 million capital raise for Investigator Silver. This broad-based activity highlights the group’s resilience in capital markets amid uncertain conditions.

Importantly, the group’s recent sale of Infinite Care to Anglicare Sydney, expected to complete in the first half of 2026, is set to deliver a $20 million pre-tax gain and a material performance fee to MA Financial. This transaction will return over 2.8 times invested capital to fund investors, reinforcing the group’s ability to generate strong investor outcomes through asset realisations. This milestone complements the group’s strategy of recycling capital to fuel further growth, supported by proceeds from asset sales and fund realisations exceeding $50 million.

MA Financial’s US Speciality Credit Income Fund also marked progress by being added to the Schwab investment platform, opening access to Registered Investment Advisor groups and attracting positive inflows from this new distribution channel. While still early, this development signals the group’s ambition to broaden its international investment footprint.

The group’s Joint CEOs, Julian Biggins and Chris Wyke, highlighted that the combination of business diversification, the acquisition of IP Generation, and the $4 billion AUM growth in the second half of FY25, alongside MA Money’s strong momentum, is expected to underpin material earnings growth in FY26 despite ongoing market volatility. These remarks echo the earlier $20M Gain from Infinite Care Sale Boosts Investor Returns that positioned the group for reinvestment and growth.