As part of its global investor outreach program, Nareit recently visited China and Singapore to meet with institutional investors, wealth managers, and family offices and asset managers. John Worth, executive vice president of research & investor outreach, represented Nareit on this trip.
A highlight of the trip was a productive visit with one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds headquartered in Singapore. This visit allowed Nareit to present the research-based case for increasing the allocation to listed real estate to the fund’s portfolio.
The trip began in Qingdao, China, to participate in the China Wealth Forum, a conference that brings together asset managers, wealth management firms, policymakers, and academics to discuss the growing Chinese wealth management market. Worth discussed the important role of real estate in a diversified portfolio and the role of REITs in providing low-cost transparent access to real estate in the U.S. and around the world.
In Shenzhen, China, Nareit had direct meetings with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as key Shenzhen-based asset managers and policy makers. Worth also presented Nareit research at a roundtable on U.S. REITs and the prospects for a REIT regime in China sponsored by the Shenzhen Institute for Financial Stability. This roundtable featured leaders from nearly 20 insurers, asset managers, and real estate developers.
The Singapore leg of the trip included meetings with wealth management firms, a large family office, REIT investment banking teams, and a developer planning to create a REIT. In these meetings, Worth presented and discussed Nareit research and introduced potential investors to opportunities available to U.S. and global REIT investors.