Dutch pension fund asset manager APG and property data provider GeoPhy have announced a co-operation to provide information on APG’s worldwide real estate holdings.
As part of the co-operation, ABP – APG’s largest client – has invested in GeoPhy through its €200m venture fund INKEF Capital, the partners said in a joint statement.
APG, which manages €417bn of pension assets, has a €37bn property portfolio under management for ABP, the €359bn pension fund for the civil service sector.
A spokesman for APG declined to provide details on the investment. He added that expected returns would match the required level for risk-bearing investments.
Patrick Kanters, APG’s head of real estate, said information offered by GeoPhy “was crucial for getting a detailed insight into all property investments, from private and listed funds to co-investments”.
Speaking at the IPE Real Estate Global Conference & Awards in Amsterdam last week, Kanters said GeoPhy as a company pursued a “bottom-up approach” and its information would be a welcome addition to the research currently available.
The continuing focus on country and regional forecasts and rankings was disappointing he told delegates.
GeoPhy said it aims to become the world’s largest database for the establishment of an objective quality score, carbon footprint as well as valuation, by combining thousands of different sources worldwide.
Its database currently contains information on more than three million buildings in 51 countries. By adding details of 10,000 assets on a daily basis, the company expects to be able to service the global property market at year-end.
Among the company’s clients are the €182bn asset manager PGGM, pensions supervisor DNB, Rabobank and asset manager Kempen Capital Management.
Teun van den Dries, chief executive of GeoPhy, highlighted APG’s institutional expertise and INKEF’s know-how in accelerating developments, making them ideal partners for a planned international expansion.
Michael Stam, chief executive officer at INKEF, said: “Pension funds, investors and banks can rely on GeoPhy’s capacity to increase transparency in the market and to provide the information for strategic investments, optimising returns and mapping investment risks.”
Last October, PGGM – the asset manager for the €172bn healthcare scheme PFZW – entered a partnership with GeoPhy to map the carbon footprint of the asset manager’s entire €20bn real estate portfolio.
