Built for Growth: The People and Expertise Behind Kanebridge Finance
From its Liverpool headquarters, Kanebridge Finance brings together decades of banking and lending experience to support developers and businesses across one of Sydney’s fastest-growing regions.
3 min
South Western Sydney is undergoing a significant transformation. New infrastructure, expanding industries and sustained population growth are creating opportunities for developers and business owners—but they are also producing increasingly complex funding requirements.
Kanebridge Finance has grown alongside this changing market. Established in 1999 and headquartered in Liverpool, the brokerage combines local knowledge with specialist experience across property development, commercial lending, asset finance and working capital.
Rather than relying on a traditional founder-led structure, the business draws on the complementary expertise of three senior leaders: Marwan Rahme, Jon Gawley and Mark Donovan.
Complementary experience, shared direction
Founder Marwan Rahme continues to shape Kanebridge Finance’s broader vision and growth strategy. His focus on innovation and expanding the firm’s capabilities has helped the business evolve well beyond a conventional finance brokerage.
Managing Director Jon Gawley oversees its day-to-day operations and commercial lending activities. A finalist for the 2026 AFG Best Broker – Commercial Lending award, Jon brings more than 20 years of senior business banking experience from NAB and Suncorp. His understanding of how lenders assess commercial transactions is particularly valuable for developers, business owners and borrowers navigating complex funding decisions.
Mark Donovan leads Kanebridge Finance’s asset finance and working capital offering. Recognised as a finalist for the 2026 AFG Best Broker – Asset Finance award, Mark joined the business following almost three decades in NAB’s business banking division. His team supports businesses seeking finance for equipment, construction activity, cash flow and expansion.
Together, the three leaders provide distinct but connected areas of expertise. Clients benefit from access to a broader team while still receiving advice from someone experienced in the particular type of finance their transaction requires.
Experience demonstrated through delivery
Kanebridge Finance’s position has been built through completed transactions and long-term client relationships.
The brokerage has funded approximately $675 million across residential and commercial projects, arranged $300 million in property development finance and supported the successful delivery of more than 100 projects.
These transactions frequently involve the kinds of challenges that require more than a standard lending approach: complicated ownership structures, staged developments, commercial property, business expansion and time-sensitive capital requirements.
The firm’s work has also received industry recognition. Kanebridge Finance was named MPA Magazine’s Commercial Broker of the Year in 2025 and 2026 and received a Global Best in Mortgage award recognising commercial brokers across the Asia-Pacific region, North America and the United Kingdom.
Local knowledge in a rapidly changing region
Liverpool is more than Kanebridge Finance’s head office location. It places the business within one of Australia’s most active development and investment corridors.
The growth associated with Western Sydney International Airport and the Aerotropolis is contributing to wider industrial, logistics, commercial and residential activity throughout South Western Sydney. For local businesses and developers, these opportunities often bring financing questions that cannot be answered by comparing interest rates alone.
Project location, development timing, lender appetite, cash-flow requirements and future expansion plans can all influence how a facility should be structured. Kanebridge Finance’s presence in the region gives its team an informed understanding of this environment and the ambitions of the people investing in it.
Specialist support without unnecessary complexity
For clients, the benefit of Kanebridge Finance’s leadership model is straightforward: they can work with one brokerage across several stages of growth without receiving generalised advice.
A developer seeking project funding can draw on the firm’s property and commercial finance experience. A growing company purchasing machinery or vehicles can work directly with its asset finance specialists. A business requiring additional liquidity can explore working capital solutions with advisers who understand business banking and cash flow.
Each client is connected with the expertise most relevant to the transaction, while the wider team remains available as their circumstances evolve.
As investment in South Western Sydney continues, Kanebridge Finance is positioned to support the businesses and developments helping shape the region—combining more than two decades of local presence with the specialist capability required to turn ambitious plans into funded projects.
BNW Developments has established a Sydney presence, joining Arada and Sobha Realty among the growing number of UAE developers pursuing Australian buyers and development opportunities.
Australian shares fell on Thursday as Wall Street weakness, rising oil and persistent rate concerns weighed on most of the market. The S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.72 per cent to 8,702. The All Ordinaries lost 0.66 per cent to finish at 8,897. Mining stocks were hit particularly hard, while real estate also dragged on the index. …
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رغم التوترات الإقليمية، يواصل سوق العقارات الفاخرة في الإمارات جذب المشاريع الجديدة، مع تصدر الواجهات البحرية المشهد. وتستعد دبي وأبوظبي ورأس الخيمة لإطلاق مجموعة من المشاريع السكنية الفاخرة، بينها مساكن تحمل علامات فندقية عالمية مثل Ritz-Carlton وJanu.
6 min
Long-term optimism remains strong in the United Arab Emirates, even as the war in neighboring Iran hinders home sales and demand for now.
While there have certainly been residential and commercial real estate projects across the U.A.E. that have been paused or delayed due to the turmoil experienced across the region, by and large, new developments continue to be launched.
That’s the case in the luxury residences sector in particular, where a string of starry, big-name projects are putting homes on the market before the close of the year. One trend is that the islands of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E. at large that are taking their turn in the spotlight, as waterfront living continues to be in demand and come at a premium.
For would-be buyers looking for resort-style homes along the shores, there’s an array of upcoming projects to get excited about. Right at the top of the list are hotel branded residences from the likes of Ritz-Carlton and Janu, the sister brand of powerhouse Aman, among five swanky projects selling this season.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi
Luxury hotel branded residences are thriving, and the exciting Ritz-Carlton Residences Al Maryah Island development is a great example of why. Residents can expect hotel-style amenities and services from a locale within Abu Dhabi’s thriving waterfront district, with the creature comforts of home built into it.
This project was unveiled at Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025 and promises to offer The Ritz-Carlton brand’s signature, timeless style and unwavering attention to detail. All units will feature floor-to-ceiling windows with enviable views, while residents will be able to take advantage of a resort-grade, infinity waterfront pool, immersive spa and wellness facilities, and a waterfront promenade with curated outdoor spaces as well as high-end retail and dining venues.
Sales launch in October.
Number of Units: 172
Price Range: Starting at $1.2 million
Developer/Architect: Killa Design and Tara Bernerd, with SAAS Properties.
Home Sizes: One- to four-bedroom residences ranging from 882 square feet to 4,962 square feet, and a five-bedroom, 13,713-square-foot penthouse.
Amenities: Wellness facilities including premium fitness center, massage room, meditation and recovery rooms, cold plunge and indoor pool. There’s also a rooftop pool, co-working lounge, executive golf lounge, and a games room and children play area.
Janu Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah
Just 50 minutes from Dubai International Airport, Janu Al Marjan Island aims to both feel a world apart from the city, while also offering supreme ease of access. The property has its own private stretch of beach and marina, ideal for superyacht mooring and serving as the scene of a beach club.
The Janu Residences will be positioned next to the Janu hotel, with residents able to take advantage of its many social and wellness spaces, in addition to resident’s-only amenities and services. Meanwhile, the adjacent Wynn Al Marjan Island, the U.A.E.’s first integrated resort, is in direct proximity as well.
Social life by the sea, with discretion and wellness on tap, not to mention a chance to get in early on burgeoning Ras Al Khaimah.
Sales launch in late October.
Number of Units: 73
Price Range: Starting at $2.3 million
Developer/Architect: Jointly developed by Marjan and Wynn Resorts, with architecture by SCDA Architects.
Home Sizes: One- to five-bedroom residences ranging from 2,117 square feet to 18,955 square feet, as well as five Marina Villas and a residential tower penthouse.
Amenities: An active lifestyle comes to the forefront with the Janu Spa and Wellness center and a padel court. Six dining venues and a signature beach club are key features for residents who want it all, right on-site.
Sei Saadiyat, Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
Located in the Saadiyat Cultural District, Sei Saadiyat combines its historic locale with a unique spin rooted in the Japanese concept of stillness and calm, or “Sei.” That foundational principle is what this community will be based on, with a mission to foster wellness and relaxation in all forms, including fitness and social connection.
A total of 778 homes will be spread across six Jacobs-designed buildings. Aldar is also introducing a first in their residential portfolio in the form of their two-bedroom Kanso Lofts at Sei Saadiyat, featuring double-height, open-plan living in loft style spaces including an elevated bedroom.
Phase one sales launched in September.
Number of Units: 778 total (265 involved in this phase one launch)
Price Range: Starting at $800,000
Developer/Architect: Aldar with architecture by Jacobs and interiors by Kettle Collective.
Home Sizes: Residences range from 753 square feet to 2,238 square feet, in a range of floor plans including one- and two-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom Kanso Residences and two-bedroom Kanso lofts.
Amenities: Amenities tie into the brand’s ethos of stillness and calm: expect a Zen garden with serenity pool and outdoor yoga decks, along with numerous indoor and outdoor fitness areas, and hot-and cold-pool experiences.
Amali Canal Residences
Amali Canal Residences is located on Dubai Canal in Al Wasl. The community is suspended above the canal, and brings the presence of water even closer to home with a number of features including private plunge pools in every residence, and a swim-through, indoor-outdoor pool with a signature waterfall facade that would make the posh resorts of the Swiss Alps blush.
There will be no shortage of on-site entertainment and diversions, whether in the form of a private cinema and resident bowling alley, cigar lounge and library, padel and sports courts, a panoramic fitness center. Then there’s The Retreat, a wellness center incorporating spa, sauna, steam, onsen baths, hydrotherapy, and yoga and pilates studios. When it’s time for a bit of work in between the diversions, residents can use an executive boardroom, private studies and co-working lounges.
Sales launch in October.
Number of Units: 211
Price Range: Two bedrooms starting at $3.9 million; three bedrooms starting at $5.4 million; four bedrooms starting at $7.4 million; penthouse pricing on request.
Developer/Architect: Amali Properties in collaboration with AHS Properties, with architecture by Killa Design and interior design by HBA Residential.
Home Sizes: Two- to four-bedroom apartments ranging from 2,880 square feet to 7,800 square feet, in addition to four- and five-bedroom penthouses ranging up to 21,000 square feet.
Amenities: 55,000 square feet of interconnected amenity spaces including myriad lounges, infinity pools with cabanas, children’s waterpark and child care center, padel court and a rooftop secret garden.
Rixos Residences Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi
The Rixo Residences on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, are designed to match its island environs with the thriving culture and finance dynamics of the city. Panoramic water and skyline views bring both faces to life, in this East & West Properties project.
Residences showcase expansive terraces offering boundless views from within a community centered around three dedicated amenity zones: the Oasis, the Haven and the Gathering. Together, wellness, fitness, social life and relaxation are all available in a number of formats.
Less than half a mile from the coast, and only 10 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi, Rixos Residences offers generous layouts and amenity-rich public spaces that deliver equally as well for family-friendly living as well as investors.
Sales launched in August.
Number of Units: 386
Price Range: One-bedrooms starting at $570,000, with larger loft units starting at $1.8 million.
Developer/Architect: East & West Property Development under the Ennismore portfolio, with architect Aedas and interiors by HBA Residential.
Home Sizes: One- to two-bedroom apartments as well as three- and four-bedroom lofts, from 954 square feet to 2,941 square feet.
Amenities: Wellness treatment areas as well as Turkish hammam and steam rooms, landscaped walking tracks, padel court, rooftop clubhouse and plunge pool, private cinema, and services including concierge, valet and security.
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Australian actor Chris Hemsworth has joined Archie Rose Distilling Co. as co-owner and strategic business partner as the Sydney spirits company prepares to enter the United States. The partnership brings Hemsworth together with Archie Rose founder Will Edwards, with the pair aiming to build greater international recognition for Australian whisky. Founded in Sydney in 2014, …
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