Sydney, Jan 13, 2026, 17:45 AEDT — Market closed.
- Macquarie shares closed up 0.04% at A$205.52, following the group’s announcement of a €117 million financing deal linked to AI data-centre infrastructure
- The funding will outfit Polarise’s Munich location, targeting a launch in early 2026, and leaves room to support additional projects
- Traders are eyeing the deal to see if it signals a wider pipeline of data-centre credit and private loans
Shares of Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG.AX) ticked up modestly on Tuesday following the company’s support for a financing deal with German data-centre infrastructure startup Polarise. The stock wrapped the day at A$205.52, marking a 0.04% increase. 1
The announcement comes amid a market pouring cash into data centres and the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence, where power and cooling are as crucial as the software itself. For Macquarie investors, transactions like this offer clues about the group’s view on loan demand — and the level of risk it’s prepared to take on.
This corner of credit can flip from “easy money” to “hard questions” in a flash. Construction delays, soaring power bills, hesitant tenants—these issues pile up quickly. The bank that cut the cheque ends up caught in the middle.
Macquarie announced it has struck a strategic financing deal with Polarise worth up to €117 million. The funds will back Polarise’s push into the European AI market and support the build-out of an “AI Factory” in Munich, set to launch in early 2026. Industry insiders use the term “AI Factory” to describe a data centre specialized in running and training AI systems. 2
Macquarie’s Specialised and Asset Finance division will provide the funding, initially earmarked for outfitting Polarise’s Munich site — the internal setup involving power, cooling, and equipment installations to get the facility operational. After that, the funds will support other projects across Germany and broader Europe, according to Data Center Dynamics. 3
Polarise, calling itself an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, said the new funding will back the build-out of its AI data centre in Munich along with other development efforts. Being an NVIDIA Cloud Partner means the company operates within Nvidia’s ecosystem to offer cloud computing services centered on its chips. 4
Bloomberg put the facility size at up to €117 million ($136 million), describing the deal as Macquarie providing a loan to a modest German startup connected to the data-centre expansion. 5
On Tuesday afternoon, Macquarie issued routine market notices, including a cessation of securities and an update on unquoted securities, according to an ASX announcements feed reported by Market Index. 6
That said, the deal’s size is modest compared to Macquarie’s overall balance sheet. Traders view it less as a shift in earnings and more as a signal—gauging pricing, demand, and what upcoming deals could bring.
The risk is real: data-centre projects can face delays, cost overruns, or slower customer sign-ups. Plus, “up to” financing means drawdowns depend on hitting specific milestones. When that cycle falters, lenders often discover problems too late.
