20th July, 2023
Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds are fond of multi-billion-dollar bilateral agreements and this week was no exception with Bahrain’s Mumtalakat party to a US$1.3 billion pledge to invest in the UK economy while the UAE’s ADQ has promised to stump up US$11.5 billion to support the Turkish economy.
28th June, 2023
The biggest crisis in the UK’s utilities sector has engulfed the country’s biggest water firm, Thames Water, and is challenging the consortium of owners to cough up capital to prevent its collapse.
6th June, 2023
The ongoing public unease over sewage pollution in Britain’s rivers is fuelling calls for renationalization of the country’s water utilities, challenging the interests of Asian sovereign wealth funds and Canadian public pension funds.
18th May, 2023
Britain’s “Future Fund”, overseen by the state-owned British Business Bank (BBB), is completing its third year of operations this week having delivered GBP1.14 billion of investment in startups during the pandemic – yet performance is mixed, criticism is fierce, and the possibility of a fully-fledged UK sovereign wealth fund remains dim.
21st February, 2023
Britain’s seaports continue to draw the interest of state-owned investors and Associated British Ports (ABP) could see Canadians pass ownership to Arabs if Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) launches a bid for a 33.9% stake.
6th February, 2023
The London office real estate market is increasingly attractive as prices drop and the pound sterling remains weak by historical standards.
10th August, 2022
Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing Public Investment Fund (PIF) could become the biggest shareholder in the UK’s busiest airport if it goes ahead with the acquisition of Ferrovial’s 25% stake.
27th May, 2022
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is in competition with its Abu Dhabi peers in headline-grabbing multi-billion bilateral memoranda of understanding. Global SWF assesses whether these agreements worth more than the paper they are written on – and if they are simply part of Middle Eastern states’ exertion of soft power.
25th April, 2022
The acquisition of a 75% stake in Paddington Central – a significant area of prime real estate regeneration in London – by Singaporean sovereign investor GIC demonstrates a revival of interest in the British capital’s real estate market, as it shakes off the risks associated with Brexit and the pandemic.
30th March, 2022
Most English football fans advocate an independent regulator with the power to ban ownership by sovereign wealth funds or individuals linked with foreign governments, according to a survey of 10,500 supporters of Premier League clubs by The Mail on Sunday newspaper.
16th March, 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to secure a multi-billion dollar deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) as he courts the Middle Eastern kingdom for post-Brexit investment deals and cement strategic alliances.
12th February, 2022
AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest pension scheme, is planning U$D31 billion of investments in the UK and Europe over the next five years as it looks to double the value of its UK assets.