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Alternative sectors
The pandemic has put European life sciences real estate firmly on equity investors’ radars. Meanwhile, lenders are having to educate themselves about the sector.
Performance and demand for the digital real estate type are materializing into mega-deals, despite lingering ESG concerns.
The joint venture between the Canadian pension plan and the London-based firm will be one of the largest-ever partnerships in the sector in Europe.
After underwriting a modular construction project for the first time, the bank says the building method can be efficient and sustainable but comes with specific lending risks.
Kate Lawlor, the firm’s chief executive, says the pandemic has prompted a growing number of debt providers to be willing to fund the sector.
Iván Paja, the data centre specialist’s chief financial officer, says the financial strength of the firm’s investors and tenants has allowed it access to a healthy pool of funding options since inception.
The significant growth potential of UK retirement living, with demand driven by a rapidly ageing population, is drawing lenders to the sector.
Steve Plavin, recently appointed to lead Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies in Europe, says a wide array of funding opportunities is likely to emerge as European markets reopen.
Alternative debt providers are increasingly willing to fill the void left by banks in the European sector, but financing mandates remain scarce.
The UK challenger bank’s debut loan in the sector was put on hold at the start of the pandemic but the resulting deal was larger than initially planned.