It's graduation season at the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA).
Just weeks after the mortgage broking association revealed that its first round of brokers completed the the Mortgage Finance Professional Australia (MFPA) designation, Mark Guglielmino (pictured above) has become the first broker member to complete the "financial analysis for mortgage finance professionals" elective.
“Mark should be proud of his achievement," said Anja Pannek, chief executive officer of the MFAA.
The MFPA program provides brokers with a professional designation comparable to those earned by accountants, lawyers or other financial specialists. Areas of focus include personal leadership, customer engagement and business management. Participants then tailor their learning through a choice of two specialized electives: either self-managed super fund (SMSF) lending or financial analysis for brokers.
In the latter, participants learn how to analyze profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements. They also learn how a business’s structure and financial position impacts performance, discuss business growth, marketing and business valuation return on investment, and apply financial management tools to business case studies, including broker businesses.
“There’s nothing else like this available in the industry, where brokers can learn about the intricacies of a business’s financial position, and also how to be an effective business owner," Pannek said.
Melbourne-based Guglielmino, who is founder, director and principal broker at Capra Financial Group, added that finishing the program and elective was “an opportunity not to be missed.”
He called it "a fantastic course that I'd encourage everyone who qualifies to complete. Lifting the standards of our industry is vital and education plays a big part.
“It's one thing to do a financial analysis course purely focused on financials and company structures. But to have specific coursework that was tailored to a mortgage brokerage, I think is invaluable for a broker transitioning from being a mortgage broker to becoming a business owner," Guglielmino continued. “When you take off your expert mortgage broker hat and you put your student hat back on, you can view things in a different light that will help you improve your business, improve the way that you deal with clients and referral partners.”
Guglielmino founded his own firm six months ago, after more than 13 years in Australia's mortgage and finance industries and working in "almost every role in broking." His resume includes stints at Westpac, Insignia Financial, Loan Gallery Finance, Inovayt and more.
“The MFPA [designation] was really attractive to me because it’s a way to stand out in the industry," Guglielmino said. "We're an industry that is continuing to push our professional standards higher and when I saw that [Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Online] RMIT Online was partnering with the MFAA with a course specifically for more senior brokers, I thought it was an opportunity that couldn't be missed.”
The MFAA first revealed the MFPA designation this past July during its 2025 national conference in Melbourne.
The designation was not only the first professional designation for mortgage brokers in Australia, but it was also the nation's first university-level mortgage broker qualification.
"Through delivering the MFPA and the foundational work we've been doing over the last five years, we are delivering the framework for you, as a broker, to be clearly recognized as a professional within this cohort," Pannek said.
Since its inception, about 10 brokers have graduated with the MFPA designation, the MFAA told Australian Broker.
The MFPA designation is voluntary and was developed in partnership with the RMIT Online. The designation is offered exclusively to experienced MFAA mortgage brokers. Those brokers who complete the RMIT Online Mortgage Finance Professional (MFP) Program and demonstrate excellence across ethics, education, conduct and customer engagement will earn the MFPA designation.
"We look forward to more MFAA accredited brokers taking on this rewarding challenge," Pannek said.
