Norway's Goverment Pension Fund Global took the first place in the PropertyEU ranking after investing €2.6 bn in a string of major real estate transactions in Europe during 2012.
Norway's Goverment Pension Fund Global took the first place in the PropertyEU ranking after investing €2.6 bn in a string of major real estate transactions in Europe during 2012.
The fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management, chalked up the result primarily thanks to large office acquisitions in Paris, Berlin and Switzerland, and a 50:50 joint venture with Prologis on a €2.4 bn portfolio of logistics assets.
PropertyEU data indicates Norway's sovereign wealth fund has pumped around €5 bn into European real estate since 2010 when it launched its investment drive.
Union Investment isn't far behind the Norwegians in this year's ranking. The Hamburg-based fund manager carried out €2.5 bn of acquisitions, according to PropertyEU Research.
An impressive line-up of 26 purchases mean that Union Investment was the largest EU-based investor in 2012. Union Investment also concluded 21 disposals with an aggregate volume of €900 mln.
Blackstone was the highest ranked non-European player. The New York-based private equity giant earned the number three spot after investing at least €2 bn across a range of transactions.
A comprehensive roundup of the top European dealmakers including a top-10 ranking is published in the January/February edition of PropertyEU Magazine.
See the Excel sheet below to see who else made it into the top ranking.
