Europe’s property market draws Asian investors fleeing China

PRIVATE equity players in Europe are upbeat on the region’s property market, especially the residential and industrial sectors that are boosted by rising interest from Asian investors who are moving away from China.

China’s lacklustre economic growth and persistent property slump have led Asian investors to dial back their exposure there. While European real estate has always appealed to Asian investors, they are increasingly focusing on certain sectors.

“There’s always been Asian interest, and real estate has probably led the alt (alternative) allocation pre-pandemic,” Stewart Bennett, global head of alternatives at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, told The Business Times last week.

Back then, Asian capital was chasing mainly office assets, with some of those being bought characterised as “trophy assets”, he said.