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Overall, business lending, loans to owner-occupiers, and loans to investors grew from 3.61 trillion to 3.64 trillion between March and April.
APRA’s Monthly Authorised Deposit-taking Institution (ADI) Statistics showed that for most of the big four banks, growth in loans to non-financial businesses was stronger than to households.
Broken down, this is how the majors performed:
CBA
Commonwealth Bank of Australia saw business lending increase 1.23 per cent between March and April, from $210.3 billion to $212.8 billion.
On the other hand, owner-occupier loan books grew 0.37 per cent, from $385.6 billion to $387.0 billion.
CBA’s investor loans grew 0.62 per cent – $197.7 billion to $199.0 billion.
Business lending saw far stronger growth, growing at twice the rate of investor loans and over three times as much as owner-occupier loans.
Westpac
The growth disparity at Westpac was even more pronounced.
Business lending at the major grew by a strong 2.3 per cent over the month of April, from $175.8 billion to $179.8 billion.
Meanwhile, owner-occupier loans increased by just 0.09 per cent – $320.9 billion to $321.1 billion and investor loans by 0.20 per cent – $162.7 billion to $163.0 billion.
NAB
NAB continued the trend with business lending up 1.08 per cent – $235.1 billion to $237.7 billion.
Owner-occupier loans rose 0.57 per cent – $218.3 billion to $219.6 billion, while investor loans grew 0.44 per cent – $110.4 billion to $110.9 billion
ANZ
The only major to buck this trend was ANZ. Results for April saw business lending up 0.28 per cent from March – $147.7 billion to $148.1 billion.
Owner-occupier loans outpaced this growth, rising 0.61 per cent – $208.6 billion to $209.9 billion.
Investor loans did the same, growing 0.44 per cent – $104.0 billion to $104.4 billion.
Seasonal trends
The rise in business lending mirror data from OnDeck that reported a sharp rise in SME loans following the February interest rate cuts.
Seasonal trends may also be playing a role. In the final months of the financial year, businesses may be looking to secure finances for the coming year.
As Prospa’s general manager of sales and partnerships, Roberto Sanz, said in a recent Broker Daily article, it is a busy period for SME lending.
“This planning phase often highlights the need for new investments, and securing finance becomes a key priority to take advantage of upcoming opportunities. Many businesses prefer to access funding before the financial year ends, incurring expenses in the current year while aiming to generate returns in the new one,” Sanz said.
“EOFY is also a period marked by aggressive promotions, particularly as businesses look to incentivise purchases. In the B2B space, these offers often lead to increased demand, requiring additional cash flow to secure goods or services at discounted rates.
“As a result, there is typically a surge in demand for finance and cash flow solutions during this time. Businesses will actively seek lending products that align with their goals, and brokers are ideally positioned to guide them in finding the right solutions for their unique funding needs, providing a sense of relief and reassurance.”
[Related: How brokers can prepare for EOFY]
