Another brokerage consolidation, this one with a wealth-advice angle. As Australian Broker reported, Viridian Financial Group has merged its mortgage broking operations under a single national brand, Viridian Lending, completing the integration of former business Smartmove. The combined operation settles more than $1 billion in lending annually. Cameron Wiles has been named general manager, lending.
The stated logic is that mortgage and investment decisions no longer sit in separate boxes. Chief executive Raamy Shahien framed it as a shift toward brokers and financial advisers working under one roof, pointing to the changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing that take effect from 1 July 2027 as a reason property investors will rethink how they structure and finance portfolios.
What it changes for a borrower
For most small-business borrowers, this is a structural story rather than a pricing one. No rate moves here. What it signals is a continuing trend: broking groups bundling lending with advice, technology and referral networks, and testing AI to cut administrative work. Viridian says brokers keep control of their own client relationships while drawing on the group's shared operational support.
The practical read: the channel you deal with may increasingly present a lender introduction alongside investment or planning conversations. That can be efficient. It can also blur where the mortgage recommendation ends and the wealth pitch begins. Worth knowing which hat is being worn when.
The 2027 CGT and negative gearing changes are the real event on the horizon here. Property investors weighing how to structure and finance a portfolio have time, but not unlimited time, to understand what those rules do to the numbers. That is a question for a licensed tax adviser, not a brand launch.
The lending arm is backed by global investor TA Associates and has collected a 2026 MFAA Professional Development Award and an MPA Top 50 Brokerages placement.