Wed, 7th Jan 2026

In this episode of Financial Services Online's Weekly Finance News Wrap, Paige Estritori discussed the state of Australian business and financial news. Notably, OnDeck Australia saw a 246% YoY increase in broker-originated small business loans, indicative of growing confidence among Australian's SMEs. Additionally, a reduction in approval time for Lightning Loans was observed, and optimistic future growth predicted. However, Estritori also emphasizes a warning from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority about the risks of engaging with unregulated lenders. On the share market front, while the S&P ASX 200 Index faced a tumultuous week due to U.S. tariffs announcement and volatile share performances, it eventually regained strength following China's new economic stimulus measures announcement. The podcast concludes with advice on the importance of financial literacy and diversification.n