Allianz revealed as co-investor in Keppel's $525m Shanghai tower acquisition

Allianz has been revealed as the co-investor in the US$525m (€446m) acquisition of the Hongkou Soho tower in Shanghai.

The German insurer announced that it invested in the mixed-use asset alongside Keppel Land China and a commingled fund managed by Keppel Group’s Alpha Investment Partners.

In June, IPE Real Estate reported that the Alpha Asia Macro Trends Fund (AAMTF) III, Keppel Land China and an unnamed investor had acquired the 70,042sqm office and retail tower from developer Soho China.

Allianz this week revealed that it was the unnamed co-investor and that it is also an investor in AMMTF III, along with Keppel Land China. Allianz said the co-investment and participation in the fund brought its “initial commitment” to between US$150m and US$200m.

AAMTF III, which hopes to raise US$1bn from investors by the end of the year, will hold a 40% stake in the Shanghia asset and the remaining 60% will be equally split between Allianz and Keppel Land China.

Allianz Real Estate undertook the transaction on behalf of a number of Allianz companies.

Rushabh Desai, who left Lone Star to join Allianz Real Estate last year as head of Asia-Pacific, said: “We are attracted to Shanghai as a leading global 24-seven city.

“This stems from our confidence in the growth prospects of the commercial real estate markets in this gateway city as well as the potential for assets like Hongkou Soho to take advantage of the future expansion of [central business districts] Puxi and Pudong.

“We are also excited about deepening our association with the Keppel Group. Co-investing with local experts is an approach our investors favour for the region and we look forward to broadening our activity in this area.”

Christina Tan, CEO of Keppel Capital and managing director of Alpha Investment Partners, said: “Co-investment with partners like Allianz is key to our strategy at Keppel Capital.

“It expands our capital platform, provides evidence of our investors’ confidence in our strong investment track record and supports our commitment to grow our assets under management.”