Insights

Our perspective on Australian business conditions and performance.

14,000 Business Failures and Counting: What the Insolvency Surge Actually Tells Us

APG Partners

4 Minutes

14,000 Business Failures and Counting: What the Insolvency Surge Actually Tells Us

  • cash flow
  • insolvency
  • interest rates
  • energy costs
  • risk

In May 2024, Australia recorded its highest monthly insolvency figure since ASIC began publishing data in 1999. By the end of FY2023-24, more than 11,000 companies had entered external administration — a 39% increase on the prior year. Current projections suggest FY2024-25 will exceed 14,000.

2025: The Year Australian Business Stopped Pretending

APG Partners

7 Minutes

2025: The Year Australian Business Stopped Pretending

  • insolvency
  • interest rates
  • energy costs

2025 was the year the deferrals ran out. The year pandemic-era survival mechanisms finally expired. The year businesses discovered whether the problems they'd been managing were temporary or structural.

After the Record: What 14,000 Business Failures Tell Us About 2026

APG Partners

4 Minutes

After the Record: What 14,000 Business Failures Tell Us About 2026

  • insolvency
  • interest rates
  • economic outlook
  • risk

FY2024-25 is on track to set a record for corporate insolvencies in Australia. Current projections suggest more than 14,000 companies will have entered external administration by June 30 — exceeding the 11,000+ failures of FY2023-24, which itself was the highest since 2012-13.

Cautious Optimism Isn't a Strategy: What SMEs Actually Need for 2026

APG Partners

4 Minutes

Cautious Optimism Isn't a Strategy: What SMEs Actually Need for 2026

  • insolvency
  • interest rates
  • energy costs
  • economic outlook

MYOB's December 2025 Business Monitor found that 19% of SMEs have seen revenue increase over the past six months — a four-point rise from the prior period. 26% expect revenue to grow in the year ahead. Among business owners aged 18-30, 37% expect economic conditions to improve.

Eight in Ten SMEs Have Cash Flow Problems. Most Don't Know Why.

APG Partners

4 Minutes

Eight in Ten SMEs Have Cash Flow Problems. Most Don't Know Why.

  • cash flow
  • interest rates
  • risk

A 2024 survey of 507 Australian small and medium business owners, conducted by CommBank in partnership with UNSW, found that nearly 80% had experienced cash flow impacts in the previous twelve months. NAB's quarterly SME survey reinforces the finding: cash flow remains the primary concern for 43% of small businesses heading into 2025.

The 30% Problem: When One Client Can Kill Your Business

APG Partners

4 Minutes

The 30% Problem: When One Client Can Kill Your Business

  • interest rates
  • customer concentration
  • risk

Nearly a quarter of Australian SMEs say that losing one major account could push them under. That's not a hypothetical risk assessment. It's a structural vulnerability sitting at the heart of thousands of otherwise successful businesses.

Three Numbers That Will Define Australian SMEs in 2026

APG Partners

5 Minutes

Three Numbers That Will Define Australian SMEs in 2026

  • cash flow
  • interest rates
  • energy costs
  • economic outlook
  • risk

As we head into 2026, Australian small business faces a familiar mix: cautious optimism from economists, lingering cost pressures from operations, and a policy environment that's about to get harder. The businesses that navigate this successfully won't be the ones with the best strategy decks. They'll be the ones who know their numbers.

Why Your Revenue Is Growing But Your Profit Isn't

APG Partners

5 Minutes

Why Your Revenue Is Growing But Your Profit Isn't

  • profitability
  • margin
  • owner led business
  • financial performance
  • business growth

Revenue growth is visible. Profit not keeping pace is harder to explain — and harder to fix. For most owner-led businesses, the cause isn't effort or market conditions. It's a structural constraint that isn't showing up clearly in the aggregate accounts.