Star Metro - The Mortgage Is Changing. So Is the Lender: Ginkgo MIC on the Future of Private Lending

Borrowers are navigating increasingly complex financial circumstances, from changing affordability dynamics and mortgage renewals to evolving lending requirements. Mortgage professionals, in turn, are facing more varied financing scenarios and greater expectations from their clients.

As the traditional lending landscape evolves, Ginkgo Mortgage Investment Corporation ("Ginkgo MIC") believes the role of the private lender is evolving with it.

The answer isn't simply to move faster. It is to lend smarter, build stronger partnerships, and stay ahead of what mortgage professionals will need next.

That philosophy has been at the heart of Ginkgo since the company was founded in 2011. Fifteen years and more than $1.6 billion in mortgages funded later, the company believes the next era of private lending will be defined by more than access to capital or speed of execution.

It will be defined by certainty, sound judgment, relationships, and the ability to adapt.

"Private lending has changed significantly since we started 15 years ago," said Henry Tse, CEO of Ginkgo MIC. "It is no longer simply about providing an alternative when a borrower does not fit the traditional lending box. The market is becoming more sophisticated, and mortgage professionals are looking for lenders who can understand the story behind a deal, move with urgency, and maintain the discipline required to protect the interests of everyone involved."

From Access to Capital to Certainty of Execution

Canada's non-bank mortgage sector has become an increasingly important part of the country's housing finance landscape. Statistics Canada now maintains a dedicated quarterly survey of non-bank mortgage lenders, reflecting the sector's growing significance to the broader mortgage market.

Meanwhile, CMHC has identified mortgage renewals, borrower exposure to changing rates, and the performance of non-bank lenders among the factors shaping Canada's residential mortgage market in 2026 and beyond.

For mortgage brokers and agents, that changing environment can make certainty of execution just as important as pricing.

Ginkgo always believed that good lending starts with common sense. The strongest private lending model is not about saying yes to everything.

"Every mortgage has a story behind it," said Tse. "It is about knowing what makes sense, understanding the security, structuring the transaction properly, and giving the mortgage professional the confidence to move forward."

That common-sense approach has remained a constant throughout Ginkgo's 15-year history - even as the market around it has changed.

Common Sense First. Partnership Always.

For Ginkgo, lending has never been solely about providing capital.

The company has built its business around long-term relationships with mortgage professionals, recognizing that a lender becomes part of the team working to get a transaction across the finish line.

That philosophy is becoming increasingly relevant as mortgage scenarios grow more complex and professional advice plays a greater role in helping Canadians navigate their financing options.

Recent research from Mortgage Professionals Canada found that 38% of Canadians - and nearly half of recent first-time buyers - are turning to mortgage brokers, reinforcing the growing importance of professional advice as borrowers navigate lender choice and increasingly complex mortgage decisions.

For Ginkgo, partnership means being more than another source of financing.

"Mortgage professionals need a lender they can talk to, a lender who understands the deal and a lender who will work with them to find a practical solution," said Tse. "That's what partnership means to us."

It is also why Ginkgo believes the lender-broker relationship will remain one of the most important differentiators in private lending.

Ginkgo's commitment to partnership has also been recognized by the industry. For three consecutive years, Ginkgo MIC has been voted by mortgage brokers nationwide as Canadian Mortgage Professional CMP Top Private/Alternative Lender, while the company has also been nominated and voted CMP Top Mortgage Lender Employer - recognition that reflects not only its lending capabilities, but the relationships and culture behind them.

For Ginkgo, the recognition is meaningful because it comes from the mortgage professionals the company works alongside every day. It reinforces a simple belief: strong lending relationships are earned, not assumed.

Looking Ahead Has Always Been Part of the Strategy

Ginkgo's approach to the future is not about moving away from its core principles. It is about building on them.

The company has consistently looked for ways to anticipate the changing needs of mortgage professionals and improve the experience around lending, not simply introduce technology or programs for the sake of innovation.

That mindset has led to initiatives such as the Pinnacle Club loyalty program, created to recognize and reward mortgage professionals for their relationships with Ginkgo, and the Ginkgo Deal Tracker mobile app, giving partners greater visibility into their deals, communication, and lending opportunities.

For Ginkgo, these initiatives reflect a broader philosophy:

Don't wait for the market to tell you what needs to change. Listen. Anticipate. Act.

"We don't innovate for the sake of having something new," said Tse. "We look at where our partners are going and ask what would genuinely make their jobs easier, faster, or more productive. Sometimes that's technology. Sometimes it's a new program or product. Sometimes it's simply finding a better way to communicate. The important thing is listening and being proactive."

That proactive mindset will continue to shape Ginkgo's next chapter, with the company looking for new ways to strengthen relationships, streamline the lending experience, and help mortgage professionals navigate an increasingly complex market.

The Next Generation of Private Lending

Ginkgo believes the evolution of private lending is ultimately about balance: responsiveness with discipline, technology with human judgment, and innovation with responsible lending.

Private mortgages can serve an important purpose for borrowers who need temporary financing while navigating a transition, restructuring their finances, or working toward conventional financing.

For lenders, that creates an opportunity to provide more than a quick solution. It creates an opportunity to provide a practical, purposeful financing strategy grounded in the underlying real estate and a clear understanding of the circumstances.

"Private mortgages should have a purpose," said Tse. "For us, that purpose has always been to provide a practical financing solution when the conventional path does not fit. The opportunity ahead is to make that experience better - not simply faster, but smarter and more transparent."

At the same time, the evolution of private lending is attracting greater attention from regulators and industry organizations.

Ontario's financial regulator, FSRA, has highlighted both the importance of private lending for borrowers who cannot qualify through traditional channels and the need for borrowers to have a realistic exit strategy.

For established lenders, Ginkgo believes this creates an opportunity to differentiate through consistency, underwriting discipline and long-term relationships, rather than speed alone.

Fifteen Years of Experience. Still Looking Ahead.

Ginkgo enters its next chapter with 15 years of experience in Canada's private mortgage market, more than $1.6 billion in mortgages funded and relationships with more than 2,500 mortgage professionals.

Those milestones provide perspective but not a reason to stand still.

If anything, they reinforce a lesson Ginkgo has learned over time: longevity in a changing market requires knowing what should never change while remaining willing to change everything around it.

"Fifteen years gives you perspective," said Tse. "You learn what should never change, and you learn when it's time to change. For us, common-sense lending and the relationships we've built will always be at the centre of what we do. But we're going to keep looking ahead, keep listening to our partners and keep finding better ways to serve them."

That means continuing to make good lending decisions, making them with urgency, and making them with confidence while looking beyond today's transaction to the relationship and opportunity that come next.

Because in a more complicated mortgage market, the value of a lender may ultimately come down to something simpler than a rate.

The future of private lending may not belong to the lender that simply says yes the fastest.

It may belong to the lender that understands what comes after yes.

For any questions regarding this news release or Ginkgo MIC's fund performance, you can visit www.GinkgoMic.com, or email our Solution Advisory Team for mortgage lending opportunities at [email protected] or Elaine Mak at [email protected].

About The Corporation: Ginkgo Mortgage Investment Corporation was founded in 2011 and serves across Canada as an alternative lender. The MIC provides dividends to investors through a diversified portfolio that is secured by properties primarily in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Greater Vancouver Area (GVA), Alberta (Edmonton and Calgary), Halifax, Saskatchewan and the Winnipeg communities. Since inception, Ginkgo has paid over $70 million dividends to investors.

Legal Disclaimers

This press release is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. No securities regulatory authority or regulator has assessed the merits of the information herein or reviewed this press release. Further, the contents of this press release should be read in conjunction with Ginkgo's offering memorandum dated November 30, 2023, as amended from time to time, a copy of which can be made available to you by contacting us.

Past Performance; No Guarantees

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and readers should not assume that the future performance of Ginkgo will equal or better Ginkgo's historical performance.

Target yields with respect to Ginkgo's preference shares are merely targets determined from time to time by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion based on several factors including but not limited to the general economic conditions, local real estate markets and prevailing levels of interest rates. The payment of dividends is subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors to establish working capital and other reserves for Ginkgo. Readers should not confuse Ginkgo's target yields with Ginkgo's rate of return or yield. There is no guarantee that Ginkgo will be able to pay dividends at the levels targeted. The amount of dividends declared may fluctuate from time to time and there can be no assurance that Ginkgo will declare any dividends in any particular month or months or that Ginkgo will declare a special dividend in for the same amount or at all in subsequent fiscal periods.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements provided in this press release, to the extent that they relate to Ginkgo and its views or predictions about possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action and includes future-oriented financial information with respect to prospective results of operations, financial position or cash flows that is presented either as a forecast or projection, may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under applicable Canadian securities laws.

Although Ginkgo believes that expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements provided in this press release are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations, estimates and projections of Ginkgo, and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated.

The forward-looking statements herein are made as of the date they are provided in this press release. Except as otherwise required by law, Ginkgo does not intend to, and assumes no obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements it may provide in this press release, whether because of new information, plans or events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this press release as there can be no assurance that the conditions, events, plans and assumptions on which they are based will occur.

SOURCE: Ginkgo Mortgage Investment Corporation

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Y.Walker--SMC