Macquarie Bank business loans: specialist lending for selected industries

Macquarie Bank doesn’t try to be everyone’s business bank, and that’s precisely what makes it good at what it does. Rather than a one-size product shelf, it builds its business lending around a handful of industries it knows deeply: professional services, healthcare, real estate, strata and a few others. If you run an accounting practice, a law firm or a property management business, a lender that already understands how your revenue works can be a real advantage.

What follows comes from Macquarie’s own website as at October 2026. We’ll cover which industries it banks, the products it offers, the unusual types of security it accepts, how to apply, and what to do if your business sits outside its focus. Confirm details with Macquarie before relying on them, as products and criteria do change.

Which industries does Macquarie lend to?

Macquarie says its business accounts, payments and lending are available to property investors and to businesses in its key industry segments. As at October 2026 those segments are:

• Accounting and financial services
• Built environment (Macquarie’s lending page mentions architecture, engineering and surveying)
• Education and community
• Healthcare
• Insolvency
• Insurance
• Legal
• Real estate
• Strata management
• Technology
• Commercial property

That list shapes everything else. A dental group, a strata manager or a small engineering consultancy will find a team that speaks its language. A café, a trucking company or a retail shop will usually be better served elsewhere, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s simply a matter of fit.

What does Macquarie offer business borrowers?

Macquarie’s business lending page lists five products as at October 2026:

Product	What Macquarie publishes	Typical use
Fixed term loan	Up to five years, extendable to ten depending on purpose, security and borrower type; interest-only (subject to approval) or principal and interest	Growth, acquisitions, succession, refinancing
Line of credit	Up to five years; interest only on what you draw	Short to medium-term working capital
Overdraft	Minimum limit $50k; only offered alongside other products	Day-to-day cash flow buffer
Property-backed loan	Residential security up to 30 years; commercial security up to five years	Buying premises or investment property, expanding
Bank guarantee	No maximum (subject to approval); fully cash-backed express guarantees available	Leases, supplier and contract guarantees

Its industry pages describe business loans as suited to mergers and acquisitions, working capital, succession planning, buying property and refinancing. Macquarie doesn’t publish loan rates or a general minimum or maximum loan amount, and it says pricing depends on how much you borrow, the security and the product.

Why the security options stand out

Most banks want bricks and mortar before they lend serious money. Macquarie lists a broader set of security for its term loans and lines of credit: goodwill, real property, debtors, rent rolls, strata rolls, work in progress, or a combination.

For professional firms, that’s significant. A law firm’s main asset is often its work in progress and debtor book. A real estate agency’s value sits in its rent roll. A strata manager’s lives in its management contracts. A lender that can secure a loan against those assets may be able to fund a practice purchase or a partner buy-in without the principals putting their homes on the line.

Macquarie says it may weigh the number of years of profitable trading, the directors and annual revenue when setting up a lending relationship, with further criteria explored case by case. Our debt service coverage ratio calculator shows the kind of profit-to-repayment test specialist lenders tend to run.

Not sure whether your firm is the kind of business Macquarie banks? Send us a quick outline and we’ll give you a straight answer.

How do you apply to Macquarie?

There’s no instant online loan. As at October 2026, Macquarie gives new customers two routes: apply through a commercial broker, or complete its “Get started” enquiry form (or request a call) so a banking specialist in your industry contacts you. Existing clients speak to their relationship manager.

That relationship-led model suits larger, more considered borrowing such as acquisitions and succession plans, where the structure matters as much as the price. It’s less suited to someone who needs $30k by Friday.

An illustrative example

Consider a two-partner accounting firm in Brisbane. One partner is retiring and the other wants to buy out their share of the fee base, worth around $900k. The firm has traded profitably for over a decade, but neither partner wants to offer the family home as security.

A specialist lender that accepts goodwill and debtors as security may be able to fund most of the buyout against the practice itself, perhaps with a line of credit alongside for working capital. That’s the type of deal Macquarie’s industry model is built for. The firm and figures here are invented to show the structure, not drawn from any real customer. For a broader look at funding a buyout, see our pages on business acquisition loans and succession and exit planning.

Who is Macquarie a good fit for, and who should look elsewhere?

A natural fit:

• Accountants, lawyers, medical and dental practices, real estate agencies, strata managers, insurance brokers and technology firms with a profitable track record.
• Owners planning an acquisition, a partner buyout or a succession event.
• Property investors and businesses buying their premises.

Probably better served elsewhere:

• Businesses outside Macquarie’s key segments, such as hospitality, transport, trades or retail.
• Owners who want a fast, small unsecured loan through an online form.
• Newer businesses without a history of profitable trading.

Questions to put to Macquarie or your broker

1. Is my industry inside your focus segments, and which team would manage my lending?
2. What security will you take: goodwill, debtors, property or a combination?
3. Can the term extend beyond five years for this purpose?
4. What’s the total cost in dollars, including establishment and ongoing fees?
5. Do I need to move my transaction banking to Macquarie as part of the deal?

If Macquarie (or your bank) said no, you’re in the right place

Macquarie is an excellent bank for the industries it chooses to serve, and if you sit inside them, its offer deserves a close look. If you don’t, or if the answer was no for another reason, here’s where to go next:

• Outside Macquarie’s industries? A major bank such as ANZ or Commonwealth Bank, or a business-only lender like Judo Bank, may suit. Our comparison of big four banks vs challenger banks lays out the differences.
• Need it quickly? See fast business loans and unsecured business loans.
• Not enough profit history? Lenders that assess cash flow, or lend against property, may help. Read declined by the bank.
• Have property equity? A second mortgage can sit behind your home loan without refinancing it.

Industry-specific guides: accountants, real estate agencies and medical practices.

Outside the focus list? Your business still has options

A specialist bank saying “not our sector” is a statement about its strategy, not about the quality of your business. Plenty of lenders specialise in exactly the industries Macquarie doesn’t.

Tell us about your business in a form that takes about a minute. There’s no credit enquiry for asking, and we don’t send your file out to a long list of lenders hoping one bites. A lending specialist looks at your circumstances and gives you a call. The more accurate your answers, the quicker we can steer you towards a lender that’s right for your industry.

Talk to someone who knows your sector →