Investment come as fast-growing challenger lender chases unicorn status
Macquarie Bank has increased its credit facility to bridging finance lender Bridgit, lifting the fintech’s total debt funding to more than $1.7 billion as more Australian homeowners buy their next home before selling their current one.
The Sydney-based lender announced on Friday that Macquarie’s Commodities and Global Markets Group had expanded its existing credit line.
Citi and Macquarie are Bridgit’s two funders. The size of Macquarie’s increase was not disclosed.
“We’re pleased to increase this funding facility to Bridgit as it continues to meet growing demand for Australian homeowners,” said Alhad Bhalerao, division director at Macquarie.
Bridgit’s is one of the fastest-growing challenger lenders in the market. Loan submissions rose 28% in the September quarter compared to the June quarter, despite a broader slowdown in the property market. Its lending grew 168% between the 2025 and 2026 financial years.
“Bridgit is fast becoming a category owner in the bridging and equity release space. Australian homeowners are increasingly choosing to buy now and sell later and even more so given the broader downturn in the property market,” said Aaron Bassin (pictured), Bridgit’s founder and chief executive.
The fintech, which passed $1 billion in loans earlier this year, said it has supported more than $8 billion in property transactions for more than 10,000 homes.
Its AI-enabled platform has cut approval times to as little as 120 seconds. That growth mirrors bridging finance’s shift from niche product to mainstream option in the broker channel.
Read more: Bringing bridging to the masses
“Property is Australia’s largest asset class with over $9 trillion trapped in home equity. At Bridgit, we’re building the finance ecosystem to match. Until now, property-backed finance in Australia has been built for banks, not for the people who own the asset. We’re reinventing access to property wealth, revolutionising how people unlock, use and create it,” Bassin said.
Buy now, sell later becomes a trademark
Earlier in 2026, Bridgit registered “Buy Now, Sell Later” as a trademark. The registration gives it exclusive rights to a phrase brokers have long used with upsizing clients.
Bassin said the new funding moved the business closer to a public listing.
“We’ve built Bridgit around technology that makes accessing home equity faster and simpler. We’ll continue investing in our platform, growing our core products and developing new ones. Our ambition is to build the business with the scale, profitability and governance to access public markets over time.
“This investment is another important step in that journey as well as positioning us in our aspiration to becoming Australia’s next fintech unicorn.”
