Last year's Digital Innovation in a Brokerage winner on a victory that will live long in the memory
The Canadian Mortgage Awards (CMAs) are rolling into Toronto again on May 1, returning for their 19th year as the mortgage industry prepares to raise a glass to its best and brightest at the Toronto Congress Centre.
Competition is as strong as ever across a host of different categories for the 2025 awards, with some of the industry’s leading figureheads and companies named Excellence Awardees as the countdown continues.
Winning a CMA is no easy feat – and for the victors, coming out on top against mortgage industry colleagues, peers and associates is an accomplishment that makes all the toil that goes on beyond the scenes worthwhile.
Just ask 8Twelve Mortgage, which came away with the highly coveted Digital Innovation in a Brokerage award at last year’s CMAs. For Abhinav Kumar (pictured top), the company’s director of marketing, the win also served to further its reputation in the industry and reflect the huge strides it’s made in recent years.
“The timing of the win was great because we have a lot of partners we deal with. We’re not just a B-to-C company, we’re also a B-to-B company and we have good partnerships in the industry,” he told Canadian Mortgage Professional.
“For us to have that accolade on our belt really [influences] how they see us in the future and with new partnerships to come, that really helps us on that side.”
The 2025 Canadian Mortgage Awards finalists have been revealed! Who’s in the running for top honors in the mortgage industry? See the full list and get ready to celebrate excellence!
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) March 20, 2025
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The secrets to success at the Canadian Mortgage Awards
The Digital Innovation prize, returning for 2025, is awarded to a brokerage that’s displayed an outstanding knowledge and use of cutting-edge technology to deliver a next-level experience for brokers and other users.
Kumar said deploying digital innovation to ease the mortgage process for users and customers had been a years-long focus for 8Twelve.
“The first thing we started was in late 2022: working on our website, and that was when we changed the whole game,” he said. “We literally made our websites one of the fastest websites in the industry.
“Fastest means nothing – but then for our users… we did a little bit of testing, asking our existing client base, ‘What was the main pain point when you went to the website?’ The biggest complaint was that filling out an application is never-ending – so that’s where we changed the whole platform. It really changed the game, and we ranked really high on the speed part on Google. That was one of the biggest achievements that we had recently.”
Winning that CMA has also served as a key touchpoint in 8Twelve’s growth, according to Kumar, as an affirmation of its rapid rise during the past three years. The company started with fewer than 30 full-time licensed agents and around 50 on independent licenses in 2022, he said, skyrocketing to more than 550 independent agents and 50 full-time licensed agents today.
It also bolstered trust in the company and strengthened the view that it was moving in the right direction. “We’re winning the Digital Innovation Award; we’re making things happen,” Kumar said.
Don’t miss out on the 2025 Canadian Mortgage Awards
Registration is still open for this year’s CMAs, which will feature a cocktail reception followed by a glitzy awards ceremony and dinner banquet – with spectacular entertainment throughout.
World-class circus performer Bella Magic will leave audiences mesmerized throughout the evening, with aerial duo Alexandra LeGendre and Eman Hillawi set to wow crowds with a breathtaking performance.
Five-piece band Soulfire will welcome guests to the dancefloor for a post-awards celebration where winners, Excellence Awardees and guests can mingle long into what’s sure to be an unforgettable night in Toronto.
It’s easy to register: just click here to sign up, and make sure to find out all the important info about the event – including venue details, award categories and a full agenda – right here.
Make sure to sign up now for one of the most iconic events in Canada’s mortgage industry calendar!
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