Institutional investors traditionally play an important role in the United Kingdom for capital markets and the economy. However, the importance of U.K. institutional investors on the U.K. stock market has been falling for some time. U.K. insurance companies held about 6 percent of the U.K. stock market in 2014, U.K. pension funds about 3 percent, which is much less than in the 1980s.

By any measure — the amount of steel and concrete, the trillions of dollars of capital to be invested, or its length and breadth — China’s One Belt, One Road infrastructure and real estate initiative is epic.

For investment managers seeking commitments from institutional investors, understanding the distinctions between the different categories in this universe is important. The term “institutional investor” can be a misnomer. A number of types of institutions invest, from foundations and endowments to corporate and public pensions to insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds, and each has its own particular mandate, or “DNA,” that influences its investments — some invest on behalf of retirees, others for citizens of a country, and yet others for social and humanitarian goals.