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APRA’s Monthly Authorised Deposit-taking Institution Statistics show lending to non-financial businesses by Australia’s authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) totalled $1,199.2 billion in January 2026.
That represents an increase of 9.3 per cent over the year and growth of 53.9 per cent compared with January 2020.
National Australia Bank (NAB) remains the largest business lender, with a loan book totalling $261.1 billion in January. Its loan book rose 0.2 per cent over the month and 11.6 per cent over the year.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) reported $230.8 billion in business lending, up 0.9 per cent month on month and 12.0 per cent year on year.
Westpac’s business loan book stood at $199.7 billion, increasing 0.6 per cent over the month and 15.8 per cent over the year.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) recorded $149.3 billion in loans to non-financial businesses, down 0.1 per cent over the month, but up 2.0 per cent over the year.
Other banks recorded smaller loan books and lower overall market share. After the big four, the largest business loan books among Australian ADIs were Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation ($23 billion), Rabobank Australia Limited ($21 billion), Macquarie Bank ($22 billion), Bank of China ($21 billion), MUFG Bank ($20 billion), and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank ($14 billion).
Competition heating up
Business lending continues to be dominated by the four major banks, although there remains competition in the sector.
NAB chief economist Sally Auld has previously said that business lending has been strong for the bank this year, particularly surrounding the purchase of commercial buildings.
“Business lending growth is strong, and so I think that tells you an underlying positive story about the economy,” she said.
While NAB retains the largest single share of the business banking market at 21.8 per cent, competitors are seeking to expand their presence.
At its half-year results, Commonwealth Bank reported a business lending book of $168 billion, up 12.0 per cent from $150 billion in December 2024 and nearly double the $90 billion recorded in December 2019.
CBA’s market share lifted to 19.1 per cent, up 41 basis points over the year.
Speaking to investors, CBA CEO Matt Comyn said: “The Business Bank has had another period of strong performance.
“We grew lending at 1.3 times system, increasing balances by $18 billion in the year. Business Banking lending balances have increased by 87 per cent, or $78 billion in the past six years, supporting growth and jobs in our economy.
“For small businesses, we have doubled the volume of loans auto approved through BizExpress over the past two years. We also launched a national AI, cyber security and digital capability initiative, supporting up to 1 million small businesses to lift productivity and competitiveness.
“The combination of deep customer relationships and prudent lending growth is delivering sustained earnings performance.”
In a recent Broker Pulse survey, ANZ was the most commonly used lender by brokers for commercial mortgages, with 27 per cent broker usage, followed by NAB at 25 per cent.