Urban planner and developer Jonathan Rose is author of The Well-Tempered City, which looks at the evolution of cities across history and modern times, and envisions the cities of tomorrow.

Forty percent of the world’s fastest-growing countries have large Muslim populations. This rapidly-growing demographic has propelled Islamic finance and Shariah-compliant investing from a relatively esoteric asset class.

People today no longer seem to place their trust in traditional political or business leaders, companies, and institutions. Instead, people increasingly are placing their trust in networks.

Beijing-based Cindat Capital Management and China’s US$13 billion Union Life Insurance Co have formed a joint venture to invest US$930 million in a real estate portfolio of senior housing and care facilities held by Welltower, a US-based healthcare REIT.

Along with global property stocks, Asia Pacific real estate stocks continued their downward slide in November 2016; the property sector was dragged down by the results of the US presidential election and subsequent concerns of higher interest rates.