According to research conducted by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, sovereign funds and large public institutional investors have chosen to invest a clear majority of their capital directly in the UK in the last 12 months (March 2015). The UK takes the top position in Europe for inbound direct investment by public institutional investors, totalling US$28.4 billion.
Specifically, sovereign funds have been drawn to institutional-quality real estate in London and other metropolitan areas. When thinking about sovereign funds many professional highlight the Qatar Investment Authority and the Canary Wharf transaction. Yet there are other less publicised transactions such as the one carried out by the Crown Estates and China’s SAFE Investment Company. In August 2015 the JV acquired the Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester for £345.5M.
