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A growing number of Australian small businesses are facing a cash crunch, with private credit player Banjo Loans reporting a 35 per cent surge in rejections for finance amid ongoing soft consumer spending over the past three months.

Meanwhile, sources say Macquarie Group is kickstarting a fundraising drive for its fourth Asia-Pacific infrastructure fund in an attempt to attract about $7.4bn and capitalise on positive investor sentiment from bumper fund asset sales including AirTrunk.

And Commonwealth Bank boss Matt Comyn’s mammoth pay packet has come in for attention from influential proxy groups ahead of the lender’s AGM, with warnings shareholders should carefully consider his rewards which include a 14 per cent hike in fixed remuneration.