As the ongoing fuel crisis continues to squeeze margins across transport, logistics and fleet-reliant industries, non-bank lender Moneytech is moving against the market, announcing a dedicated working capital program as either a business loan or line of credit of up to $50,000 for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) hardest hit by rising fuel costs and supply disruption.
The offer comes as arrears rates climb in fuel-exposed sectors and a growing number of lenders tighten credit or step back from the segment. Moneytech says the pullback is creating a funding gap at exactly the moment affected SMEs need working capital most.
The Federal Government’s National Fuel Security Plan, announced on 30 March 2026, and the Fair Work Commission’s Road Transport Contractual Chain Order, which requires fortnightly rate adjustments across road transport contractual chains until the national terminal gate diesel price falls below $2 per litre, reflect the scale of the pressure operators are under. Moneytech says policy measures alone will not be enough for many SMEs without access to working capital to bridge the immediate cashflow shock.
Nick McGrath, CEO of Moneytech, said the decision to expand lending into fuel-exposed sectors reflects the lender’s confidence in the underlying businesses, not a discount of the risk.
“We can see the arrears data the same as everyone else, and we understand why some lenders are pulling back,” McGrath said. “But the businesses we’re talking to aren’t fundamentally weak, they’re well-run operators facing a short-term, external shock. Walking away from them at this point in the cycle doesn’t reflect what we think a good lender should do.”
“While others are pulling out, we’re leaning in. If we can help a transport operator, a courier, a trades business with a fleet or a regional logistics provider get through the next six to twelve months, we think that’s exactly the role a non-bank lender should be playing right now.”
The program is designed to reduce the friction SMEs typically encounter when seeking emergency working capital. Eligible businesses will face a streamlined application process with fewer parameters and reduced documentation requirements than a standard business loan, with a focus on getting funds to operators quickly so they can cover fuel, wages, vehicle maintenance and other immediate operating costs.
“Seeing our first $50,000 Business Support Loan funded in under four hours was a powerful validation of what we set out to build,” McGrath said. “When businesses need support, delays cost money. Our focus is on cutting friction out of the process and getting funds where they’re needed, fast.”
The offer is targeted at fuel-exposed sectors, including road transport and freight, couriers and last-mile delivery, trades and field services operating vehicle fleets, as well as agriculture, construction, wholesale, hospitality, retail, and labour hire. It is particularly relevant for regional operators and any SME where vehicles are core to day-to-day operations.
Reserve Bank of Australia data shows cash reserves for small businesses have declined to around pre-pandemic levels – approximately three months of operating expenses for the median business, sitting at the very lower end of the recommended three-to-six-month buffer. For SMEs in fuel-exposed industries, even a short-term margin compression can quickly erode that buffer.
McGrath said brokers will be central to getting support to affected businesses quickly.
“Brokers are usually the first call a business owner makes when conditions tighten,” McGrath said. “They know their clients’ operations, they understand the cashflow pressures, and they can quickly assess whether a business is best supported by a bank, a non-bank lender, or a combination. A lending response to the fuel crisis only works if it moves through the channels SMEs actually use, and brokers are central to that.”
McGrath said the broader economy has a stake in keeping fuel-exposed SMEs operating through the current period.
“Transport operators, logistics providers and fleet-reliant businesses keep the rest of the economy moving,” he said. “If the local courier can’t keep the wheels turning, or a regional freight operator has to wind back, that flows through to every other SME that depends on them. Supporting these businesses through a short-term shock isn’t charity, it’s common sense, and it’s good credit practice when the fundamentals are sound.”