Welcome to this year’s Global Investor 100 ranking of institutional investors by equity invested in private real estate. Aggregate capital allocations, as measured at the end of 2023, were marginally greater than one year prior. However, the rate of growth has slowed to the lowest level since PERE’s ranking was expanded from the top 50 investors to the top 100 in 2020. Explore our coverage to find out more.
TOP 10 PRIVATE REAL ESTATE INVESTORS
| Rank | Institution | Real estate allocation | HQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($m) | (%) | |||
| 1 | GIC Private Limited* | 100,100 | 13 | Singapore |
| 2 | Abu Dhabi Investment Authority | 73,800 | 8 | Abu Dhabi |
| 3 | TIAA | 66,304 | 23 | New York |
| 4 | Allianz Group | 64,468 | 8 | Munich |
| 5 | Qatar Investment Authority | 59,118 | 12 | Doha |
| 6 | California Public Employees’ Retirement System | 52,297 | 11 | Sacramento |
| 7 | California State Teachers’ Retirement System | 49,000 | 15 | Sacramento |
| 8 | Swiss Life | 47,305 | 28 | Zurich |
| 9 | AXA Group | 42,345 | 7 | Paris |
| 10 | National Pension Service of Korea | 37,221 | 5 | Jeonju-si |
| *Data as of date other than December 31, 2023 | ||||
GLOBAL INVESTOR 100 | OVERVIEW
This year’s Global Investor 100 ranking of the largest institutional allocators by capital invested in private real estate is a product of its time.
Aggregate capital allocations, as measured at the end of 2023, were marginally greater than one year prior. However, the rate of growth has slowed to the lowest level since PERE’s ranking was expanded from the top 50 investors to the top 100 in 2020. From 13.5 percent growth in 2022 to 4.5 percent in 2023 and just 2.8 percent in 2024, the trajectory of the ranking’s growth mirrors the course of interest rate rises in most major economies since the middle part of 2022.
Indeed, despite the headline growth, the ranking shows a more widespread decline in real estate portfolio value than ever before. Almost half of the top 100 investors saw a fall compared with the value of their portfolios in last year’s ranking. At 48, this compares with 35 in 2023, and just 18 in 2022. An additional six investors observed no change in their allocation.
Indeed, as we explore in our coverage, equity levels in existing property holdings were dramatically altered for a large swathe of institutions by the value-recalculating impact of successive interest rate rises. And while last year’s ranking already displayed some of this impact, the class of 2024 has absorbed the lion’s share of the macroeconomic turbulence.
Nevertheless, not every story from this year’s GI 100 was one of declining, pausing or reassessing, with some recording notable jumps up the table.
Read the ranking to understand how the new guard in private real estate is preparing for a new market cycle.
GLOBAL INVESTOR 100 | METHODOLOGY
We base the Global Investor 100 on the fair value of investors’ private equity real estate investment portfolios, both through third-party managed investment vehicles and direct investments. This fair value is measured at a single point in time for all investors to provide an apples-to-apples comparison. For the 2024 ranking, this is December 31, 2023. This is a ranking of capital allocators and excludes assets managed on behalf of third-party investors.
Private real estate.
The definition of private real estate, for the purposes of this ranking, is property used for commercial/business purposes, such as offices, hotels, retail, industrial, as well as multifamily/apartment properties. It may include portfolios of single-family houses assembled via an institutional platform. Investments are measured at fair value or NAV.
Private real estate debt vehicles.
We consider equity investments into private real estate debt vehicles as long as the institution includes these as part of its private real estate portfolio.
Capital invested through the following structures is included:
• Funds and funds of funds managed by a third party (both open-end and closed-end),
• Direct investments (equity invested directly in a property or properties),
• Co-investment vehicles,
• Separately managed accounts,
• Joint ventures.
PERE’s Research & Analytics team corresponded directly with investors to confirm the total value of their private equity real estate investments as described above. In the absence of primary data, the team gathered information from secondary sources and sought to validate the researched figure with the investors themselves before publishing this ranking. We do not disclose which institutions have provided information on a primary basis.
For further clarification, contact Wassyl Abdessemed: wassyl.a@pei.group
- Non-proprietary capital: This is a ranking of capital allocators and we do not include capital raised or managed on behalf of third-party investors. However, specialist asset managers with full discretionary management of public pension portfolios are considered for the purposes of this ranking.
- Uncalled capital: This ranking excludes any capital that has been committed but not yet been called by a fund manager.
- Direct debt investments: We exclude any form of debt origination, such as mortgages or mortgage-backed securities, structured debt investments or any direct investments in the debt of real estate companies.
- Expected commitments: We exclude future commitments and investments or the uncommitted portion of an institution’s target allocation.
- Real estate company shares: We consider these to be stock investments and part of an institution’s equity portfolio, regardless of how an individual institution may classify them.
- REITs and other public markets investments: Any investments in listed vehicles are excluded. REITs are typically traded publicly, and as such, are considered public market investments for the purposes of this ranking.
- Infrastructure: Investments either directly or through funds into infrastructure projects or energy assets.
- Hedge funds: These primarily target liquid securities or trading strategies.
- Natural resources: Investments either directly or through funds into natural resources assets (agriculture, timber, etc).
GLOBAL INVESTOR 100 | PREVIOUS RANKINGS
The PERE GI 100 edges up
PERE's 2023 ranking of institutional investors by equity invested in private real estate has grown, but more slowly, in another sign of the times.
How we compiled the 2023 Global Investor 100
The methodology for the Global Investor 100 ranking.
How Singapore’s GIC leapt to the GI 100’s top spot
During a period of inactivity in private real estate, the sovereign wealth fund has motored to the top of the ranking with a surge of transactions.
European investors take a tumble on the GI 100
As many as 25 European institutions descended in this year’s GI 100 ranking, notably more than those in other regions.
Global Investor 100 2022: The full ranking
It’s all change at the top of this year’s rankings.
Top five takeaways from the 2022 GI 100
Our Global Investor 100 report returns with a new investor taking the top position.
Tracking the 2022 GI 100’s movers and shakers
Since our 2021 Global Investor 100 ranking, there have been notable rises and falls among the asset class’s top investors.
How we compiled the 2022 Global Investor 100
The methodology for the Global Investor 100 ranking.
Macquarie Asset Management: Market volatility and dislocation may create opportunities for investors
Widening discounts for secondaries assets and softening prices for development sites are among the opportunities to leverage, according to David Roberts, global head of real estate strategy at Macquarie Asset Management.
Global Investor 100: The full ranking
Real estate’s biggest institutions have almost $1.5trn invested in the asset class.
Top five takeaways from the 2021 GI 100
There is change at the top of the GI 100 ranking and sustainability is becoming a priority for investors.
How we compiled the 2021 Global Investor 100
The methodology for the Global Investor 100 ranking.
Macquarie Asset Management: Investors are shifting focus further to through-cycle strategies
Rod Cornish, managing director, and David Roberts, associate director, Macquarie Asset Management on the key themes defining the current real estate investment landscape
Investor roundtable: Global real estate positioning in the age of covid
Some of the planet’s biggest investors discuss strategies for extracting maximum performance from real estate as the pandemic continues.
The GI 100 in numbers
Breaking down the GI 100's nearly $1.5trn allocation to real estate.
ADIA plots strategic pivot as outside noise escalates
The United Arab Emirates’ pre-eminent sovereign wealth fund wants to demonstrate control of its real estate department. Outsiders are not seeing it.
Currency movements reshuffle the GI 100
The depreciation of the US dollar has buoyed Europe and Asia-Pacific-based institutions in this year’s ranking.
GPIF: The sleeping giant awakens
The pension has dived into real estate co-investments and joint ventures for the first time this year via a mandate with CBRE Global Investment Partners.
Macquarie Asset Management on partnering with operating businesses
Jelte Bakker and James Kemp of Macquarie Asset Management on why partnering with an operating business provides access to real estate and boosts investment performance
Macquarie Asset Management on why logistics has not reached peak pricing yet
The future looks bright, given the favorable structural tailwinds, say Macquarie Asset Management’s Christian Goebel and Eric Wurtzebach.
Macquarie Asset Management on why ESG must be the first item on the checklist
Sustainability is now high on investors’ and managers’ agendas, with both having an increased desire to allocate capital to resilient, affordable housing, say Macquarie Asset Management’s Erin Ledger-Beaupre and Dana Gibson.
DOWNLOAD: Private real estate’s biggest capitalizers
Welcome to the Global Investor 100, PERE’s annual ranking of the asset class's top institutional investors, based on the market value of their private real estate investment portfolios.
Global Investor 100: The full ranking
Our annual ranking reveals the 100 largest institutional real estate investors in the world.
Top five takeaways from the 2020 Global Investor 100
This year’s expanded ranking reflects a top 10 with a unique set of characteristics and a boost in representation for certain geographies and investor types.
How we compiled the 2020 Global Investor 100
The methodology for the Global Investor 100 ranking.
Institutional capital remains drawn to real estate
Though new relationships are still on hold throughout much of the world, many kinds of investors are still finding ways to grow their real estate exposure.
Tales from the Global Investor 100’s top 10
As North American pensions fade out of the top of the ranking, insurers are emerging as the new powerhouses for real estate investments globally.
Six takeaways from the GI 100 report
New challenges have emerged to shake investor confidence in 2020, but the real estate ship has stayed afloat.
MIRA Real Estate on how covid-19 has accelerated market trends
Rod Cornish, managing director, and David Roberts, associate director of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets explain how the pandemic is having mixed fortunes for the global real estate sector.
MIRA Real Estate: Investors are turning a deaf ear to US political noise
Capital providers must avoid being distracted by the country’s feverish political climate and focus instead on long-term structural trends when evaluating the potential of US property, argue Allianz’s Christoph Donner and MIRA’s Eric Wurtzebach
MIRA Real Estate: European real estate still a good relative play
Executives from reinsurer Hannover Re and manager GLL debate how investors can strike the correct balance between risk and return in the region’s pandemic-hit property market.
MIRA Real Estate: Investors keep faith with Asia-Pacific
The region’s sound fundamentals and long-term growth opportunities mean well-capitalized institutions will continue to look for opportunities in markets like China, say executives from MIRA and CPPIB.
What does falling GDP mean for property investors?
Pressure on rent streams, increased rent volatility and an increased need to compete for tenants, says LCI Real Estate Investments’ founding partner William Schwab.
MIRA Real Estate on why the industry’s future is bright
MIRA’s head of real estate Brett Robson explains why there is cause for optimism heading into 2021, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Welcome to the PERE Global Investor 50
Now in its sixth year, the PERE Global Investor 50 highlights the largest institutional real estate investors in the world based on the market value of investors’ private real estate portfolios. PERE’s Research & Analytics team carried out primary and secondary research on over 100 institutions to produce this ranking. We look forward to publishing it in 2020.
MIRA Real Estate on the tailwinds for property values in 2020
Lower interest rates and healthy demand will support property values in the coming year, say Rod Cornish, managing director, and David Roberts, associate director of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.
Knocking on the door of the GI 50
The 10 institutional investors looking to get into the PERE ranking.
MIRA Real Estate on why economics trumps politics in the Americas
Ignore the increasingly feverish political climate: a healthy US economy is still a big draw for investors in the Americas, argue executives from Allianz, Ivanhoé Cambridge and MIRA Real Estate.
SWFs hit the pause button on real estate buying
High-profile real estate acquisitions by sovereign wealth funds slowed in 2019 as the institutions focused more on disposals.
European insurers lead on private real estate activity
Major transactions in Europe and Asia-Pacific have helped push Allianz, AXA and Swiss Life to the top 10 of PERE’s GI 50.
Great White North sets the gold standard for direct investment
Canada’s public pensions led the way for North American direct investment in global real estate, playing roles in some of 2019's largest acquisitions.
MIRA Real Estate on why European property is still the best game in town
Modest growth is expected in European property markets as macro-economic momentum dissipates, but the sector still offers attractive returns, say experts from Allianz, Ivanhoé Cambridge and MIRA Real Estate.
Trendlines over headlines at European pension funds
The region's pension managers say they are focusing on demographics, demand shifts and tech trends - as reflected in some of their largest deals this year.
MIRA Real Estate on why Asia-Pacific will be stronger for longer
Benign interest rates with continued urbanization and economic growth, supports the case for Asia-Pacific real estate, say investors.
How to prepare for a downward valuation cycle
Price matters if your mission is to maximize economic returns over a long investing horizon, writes Bill Schwab, principal at Real Estate Investments.
MIRA Real Estate on keeping up with changing times
The built environment is undergoing rapid evolution across the world due to structural and macroeconomic trends. Brett Robson, head of real estate, tells PERE how MIRA Real Estate is adapting its business to stay ahead and stay competitive.
Global Investor 50: Leading lights
PERE’s 2018 ranking of the biggest private real estate investors.
GI 50 2018 countdown: 50-40
We kick off our countdown of PERE's Global Investor 50, ranking the private real estate investment world’s top names.
GI 50 2018 countdown: 39-30
We continue our countdown of PERE's Global Investor 50, ranking the private real estate investment world’s top names.
GI 50 2018 countdown: 29-20
We continue our countdown of PERE's Global Investor 50, ranking the private real estate investment world’s top names.
GI 50 2018 countdown: 19-11
We continue our countdown of PERE's Global Investor 50, ranking the private real estate investment world’s top names.
GI 50 2018 countdown: 10-6
We continue our countdown of PERE's Global Investor 50, ranking the private real estate investment world’s top names.
GI 50 2018 countdown: 5-1
We wrap up with the leaders in our countdown of PERE's Global Investor 50, ranking the private real estate investment world’s top names.
GI 50: Looking through the cycle
Investment strategies focused on long-term structural themes and defensive cashflows are set to outperform across cycles, write Rod Cornish and David Roberts of Macquarie Capital
GI 50: Off the beaten path
Erin Ledger-Beaupre talks with CPPIB about its real estate portfolio growth in a mature cycle and why partnering with specialist managers is critical, especially in niche sectors.
GI 50: Going global in a changing world
Macquarie Capital Real Estate Investments’ Zahar Mejanni seeks insights from PFA’s Michael Bruhn on how to construct a worldwide investment strategy in a rapidly evolving market.
GI 50: A China story
CPPIB’s Guy Fulton speaks with Michael Chan of Macquarie Capital Real Estate Investments about its current investment strategy in China. Mark Cooper listens in
GI 50: Principally speaking
Brett Robson and Jelte Bakker of Macquarie Capital explain to Jonathan Brasse why the firm’s move into real estate principal investing was an opportunity to be embraced.
LATEST NEWS
OTHER RANKINGS
In addition to the PERE Global Investor 100, PERE also compile other private real estate rankings.
What’s more, our sister titles produce their own industry rankings covering private equity, infrastructure investing and private debt.
To view the latest rankings from PERE, plus those from Private Equity International, Infrastructure Investor and Private Debt Investor, simply navigate through the sections below:
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