Specialist lending surges as Quickli Pro transforms broker capability

Specialist lending activity is accelerating rapidly as mortgage brokers increasingly adopt sophisticated technology to confidently navigate complex scenarios that were previously referred out or avoided altogether.

New data from Quickli, Australia’s leading mortgage technology platform used by more than 13,000 brokers—over half the country’s mortgage professionals—reveals a dramatic shift in how brokers approach Alt Doc and SMSF lending.

Alt Doc product recommendations surged 124% in March 2026, while SMSF exports climbed 56% month-on-month, suggesting that purpose-built tools are fundamentally changing which deals brokers can confidently facilitate.

From “too hard” to everyday workflow

The uplift represents more than incremental growth—it signals a structural shift in broker capability.

“There are brokers out there who’d write more Alt Doc and SMSF deals if they had the right tools,” said Eric Dill, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Quickli. “These aren’t mainstream lending scenarios, so brokers need confidence they’re getting the requirements right. Thanks to Quickli Pro, deals that were previously in the ‘too-hard’ basket are no longer too hard. We’re expanding the types of deals brokers can facilitate.”

Quickli’s Alt Doc Tool, launched in October 2025 as an industry-first, uses a policy-driven rules engine to automatically surface suitable lenders based on a client’s ABN history, documentation type, BAS history and credit profile. The tool recorded its highest month of product recommendations in March since launch.

Critically, the data shows brokers aren’t just exploring—they’re converting scenarios into client recommendations at increasing rates.

“What we’re seeing is brokers actively using these tools to serve clients, not just exploring out of curiosity,” said Dr Amir Shareghi Najar, Head of Data at Quickli. “The recommendation-to-creation ratio jumped to 3.8% in March, nearly double our previous best. That tells us brokers are following through to recommend products to clients, not just running scenarios.”

Alt Doc scenario creation grew explosively following launch, with month-on-month growth of 161% in December and 127% in January, before settling into more sustainable levels as the tool became embedded in broker workflows.

SMSF transitions from niche to mainstream

SMSF lending activity has shown similarly strong momentum, with exports surging 56% month-on-month in March 2026. After a seasonal dip in December, usage has recovered strongly and is tracking back toward peak levels seen at launch in October 2025.

“SMSF is moving from niche to mainstream in broker workflows,” Dr Shareghi Najar said. “Brokers are seeing the opportunity in SMSF lending, and now they have tools that make it accessible rather than intimidating.”

Quickli’s SMSF Tool delivers accurate maximum capacity calculations across nine lenders, with each lender’s unique contribution rules handled correctly—critical detail work that previously required manual interpretation of complex lender policies.

The consistent month-on-month usage suggests SMSF has moved beyond novelty to become a regular part of how brokers serve clients with more sophisticated lending needs.

Technology as competitive differentiator

The data highlights how technology is rapidly becoming a competitive differentiator in the broker channel, enabling advisers to expand their serviceable client base without proportionally increasing operational complexity.

Both the Alt Doc and SMSF tools became exclusive features of Quickli Pro when the premium subscription tier launched in February 2026, featuring Australia’s first AI-powered broker tools alongside specialist calculators.

March data reflects a transition period where brokers migrated to Pro subscriptions, suggesting specialist tools are driving meaningful upgrade decisions—brokers are willing to pay for technology that expands their capability into higher-value lending scenarios.

Quickli Pro includes Jiffi AI, described by the company as the world’s most advanced AI credit analyst, which provides instant answers across policy and product for 45 lenders, and Doc Renamer, an AI tool that automatically detects and renames client documents at scale. The Pro tier achieved 1,500 registrations within two weeks of launch.

Broader implications for the broker channel

The rapid adoption of specialist lending tools comes as mortgage brokers continue to strengthen their market position, now facilitating 77.6% of all new residential home loans in Australia according to MFAA data—the highest market share ever recorded.

However, that dominance has been built primarily on traditional residential lending. The Quickli data suggests brokers are now extending their reach into specialist scenarios that have historically been dominated by direct lender relationships or specialist brokers.

“The barrier to entry for Alt Doc and SMSF lending has never been product availability—it’s been confidence and workflow complexity,” Dill said. “Our tools handle the technical requirements correctly, generate comparison reports in seconds, and give brokers the confidence to say ‘yes’ to deals they might have previously referred out.”

The trend suggests technology platforms like Quickli are playing a critical infrastructure role in the broker channel’s evolution, not just improving efficiency in existing workflows but fundamentally expanding the types of scenarios brokers can competently handle.

As specialist lending becomes more accessible to a broader range of brokers, the distinction between “mainstream” and “specialist” brokers may increasingly blur—replaced by a channel where sophisticated technology enables all brokers to serve clients across a wider spectrum of lending complexity.