Institutional investors globally continue to commit capital to Asia Pacific–focused property funds, investing across strategies during the first quarter.

The Blackstone Group has launched its first Asia-focused real estate fund, Blackstone Real Estate Partners Asia. With a US$4 billion fundraising goal and a focus on China and other Asia Pacific markets, the opportunistic fund has caught the attention of institutional investors, including the New Jersey Division of Investment, a US-based pension fund, which committed US$500 million to the Blackstone fund in March.

Hong Kong–based Gaw Capital Partners announced an equity raise of US$200 million for its closed-end opportunistic fund Gateway Capital Real Estate Fund IV. Including its most recent