Newsline

After a year defined by uncertainty and adjustment, Europe’s real estate markets are entering 2026 with renewed confidence according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest forecasts in its European Outlook 2026.

CenterSquare Investment Management has appointed Dean Frankel, global head of real estate securities and Robert Holuba, managing director of private equity real estate, as co-CIOs.

Landmark Properties has closed on the acquisition of a 3.29-acre site in Auburn, Ala., in partnership with Manulife Investment Management.

Hines Global Income Trust, Inc. (HGIT) has acquired two assets in the Midwest.

JLL has released its Global Real Estate Outlook 2026, offering a forward-looking analysis of the commercial real estate landscape as the industry moves beyond a turbulent economic period. With inflation moderating, trade pressures easing, and interest rates trending lower, the environment for commercial real estate is stabilizing heading into the new year.

Curzon & Ferguson Partners’ research shows that nearly 30 percent of today’s infrastructure investment management leaders are also the founders of their firms. These founder-CEOs have a median tenure of 16 years — double that of non-founders. With many founders reaching critical inflection points in their careers, a wave of succession events is on the horizon.

Lincoln Property Co. and PGIM’s real estate business have formed a strategic joint venture partnership to pursue outpatient medical investments across the United States.

Brookfield and Singapore sovereign fund GIC have agreed to buy Australia’s National Storage (NSR) in a deal valuing the ASX-listed REIT at about A$4 billion ($2.6 billion).

Tishman Speyer has purchased 54 Rue de Londres, a six-story, 4,622-square-meter (49,751-square-foot) prime office property in Paris’s dynamic Center West submarket.

Newport Logistics Fund III, part of the Panattoni group, has raised the first €100 million ($116 million) at the first close of its third pan-European logistics fund, against a total target of €300 million ($349 million).

Alexander & Baldwin has entered into a definitive merger agreement in which a joint venture formed by MW Group and funds affiliated with Blackstone Real Estate and DivcoWest will acquire all outstanding A&B common shares for $21.20 per share in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $2.3 billion.

The affordable housing sector is navigating a challenging environment, with rising costs, higher interest rates and growing pressure on developers and service providers. At the same time, demand for affordable housing continues to increase. TD Bank released a survey of 238 affordable housing professionals, uncovering cautious optimism for 2026 despite ongoing policy and cost concerns. The survey found that 62 percent of respondents are optimistic that affordable housing developments will rise nationally next year, with the strongest demand expected in multifamily housing (64 percent), housing for seniors (58 percent), and workforce housing for essential and middle-income workers (50 percent). High construction costs (55 percent), federal policy changes (50 percent) and tariff-driven price increases (39 percent) were cited as the top barriers to development, while 60 percent said changes to Section 8 will affect plans — 84 percent of them anticipating a negative effect. Still, 52 percent of respondents are confident that access to affordable housing will expand nationwide, and one-third believe the challenging market will not affect their development pipeline. In an interview with IREI, Andrew Warren, senior vice president and leader of the Community Development Lending vertical at TD Bank, shared his perspectives on market sentiment, evolving challenges and the sector’s outloo

Vernon Chin has joined Lone Star Funds as a senior managing director and co-head of Americas real estate.

Walker & Dunlop has arranged a $285 million bridge loan to an affiliate of Madison Realty Capital to refinance Greenpoint Central, a newly built 473-unit class A multifamily property in Brooklyn’s thriving Greenpoint neighborhood.

KKR has announced that KKR-managed funds and accounts provided €300 million ($350 million) whole loan financing to EPISO 6, a fund managed by Tristan Capital Partners, to support its recent acquisition of easyHotel, a pan-European budget hotel operator.

Henderson Park has agreed to purchase 70 Fenchurch Street, EC3, from Lloyd’s Register Group.

Hayfin Capital Management has acquired 70 St Mary Axe, the iconic office building in the City of London, in partnership with Capreon from Nuveen Real Estate.

Blue Owl Capital’s new digital infrastructure vehicle, the Blue Owl Digital Infrastructure Trust, held its first close at approximately $1.7 billion and commenced operations on Dec. 1, 2025, according to its SEC 8-K filing.

The $20.85 billion Ohio Police & Fire (OP&F) has made a $50 million initial commitment to Cloud Capital Fund I, representing the pension fund’s debut investment in a dedicated data center fund.

Momentum is returning to the U.S. office market as major cities like New York; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C., show improving fundamentals and renewed investor confidence. Office building sales climbed nearly 21 percent last year — reaching $64.3 billion, according to MSCI Real Assets — signaling a shift in sentiment as tenants gravitate toward high-quality, well-located space and central business districts regain their footing. For REALM, a direct real estate investment platform backed by more than 80 family offices with more than $10 billion in combined assets under management, this resurgence underscores the strength of its value-added, middle-market strategy. REALM CEO Travis King shares his perspective on what’s driving the recovery, where opportunities are emerging and how family offices are reshaping the future of direct real estate ownership.