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Commercial property finance

Today

‘Rebound is here’: Office funds post first positive return in 2 years

Signs of a recovery are emerging for the battered office sector where high interest rates and the popularity of hybrid work have dragged down valuations.

This Month

MRCB International has secured development approval for Maris, a $200 million, 20-storey, 192-unit apartment tower at 20 Queen Street in Southport, QLD. 

Gold Coast developers ‘right-sizing’ projects amid construction crunch

MRCB International is focusing on a high-end 20-storey project which it says will be easier to get off the ground at a time when builders are harder to find.

Former Virtical director and twice bankrupt John Palasty said the payments to his wife were to repay loans she had made to the business.

More than $700k sent to director’s wife in alleged $120m GST scam

The wife of one of the directors of collapsed pub empire Virtical told examinations she had no memory of the more than 20 transactions sent from the company.

Walking the talk: Sentinel Property Group chief executive Warren Ebert travelled to Japan last month seeking capital to buy under-valued office properties in Brisbane and expects to go back “every six weeks” until he completes his first deal.

Sentinel takes Brisbane office property deals to Japan

The commercial real estate investor is seeking capital for the first time overseas in a change of pace for the Queensland company.

Investing in the future: Mitsui Fudosan last year paid $1.3 billion for a two-thirds stake in Mirvac’s planned 55 Pitt Street tower.

Real estate now takes 1 in 5 Japanese deals – and it’s growing

At a time of global uncertainty, Australian real estate is finding its perfect match in Japanese investors seeking stable revenue and capital growth.

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James Zhang’s Ferrari SF90 Stradale worth $1 million.

The secret Ferrari fire sale while dozens are out of pocket

James Zhang lived large. Is he now about to sail off into the sunset?

March

Former Virtical directors Mark Toma and John Palasty outside court.

Players in alleged $200m GST scam turn on each other in court

Each of the two former directors of pub-owning company Virtical say the other was responsible for invoices that could reveal the biggest GST tax fraud in Australia’s history if proven.

iProsperity’s Michael Gu fled the country in 2020, leaving behind defrauded investors and large debts.

Yorkway Private raises $10m for One Investment to sweep away iProsperity

One Investment Group was tangled up in one of Australia’s biggest frauds. Now, former AMP chief executive Paul Batchelor’s Yorkway Private offers a way out.

Joe Longo, the chairman of corporate regulator ASIC, which has warned there would be “more failures in private credit investments, and Australian investors will lose money”.

ASIC demands answers from private credit as it beefs up surveillance

ASIC has given a select group of private credit funds until mid next month to explain how they value assets, manage conflicts and look after its investors’ interests.

Halo, the 55-storey tower proposed for the corner of Sydney’s Hunter and Pitt streets.

Merricks tips more debt into Sydney ‘Halo’ tower amid default

The private credit provider remains supportive of the project with its loan top-up to get work moving at the site, while a non-Merricks lender has issued a default.

Louis Christopher, managing director of SQM Research.

SQM issues warning on private credit after uptick in bad loans

One of the largest ratings agencies said it was concerned by “questionable” practices and a lack of transparency in the non-bank lending sector.

Metrics co-founder Andrew Lockhart. He has built one of the largest non-bank lenders in the country.

Financial planning giant abruptly tells advisers to sell Metrics funds

Count Financial said it would also launch a wide-ranging review of private credit to assess whether the returns were still work the risk after recent turmoil.

Calling all institutions: The CEFC wants to drum up capital for developments meeting EU-level emissions standards.

CEFC, $11b Goldman Sachs fund will invest in low-carbon developments

The federal government’s green bank says it’s leading other investors into more sustainable project investment.

Pencil thin: The Cox-designed tower has 28 levels and a net sellable area of 9788sq m.

Builder Roberts Co faces new threat from bond claims

While the contractor’s Victorian operations are only part of its business, developer claims against guarantees could tear a big hole in the parent company.

John Holland is taking losses on its construction contracts for Melbourne’s new Metro Tunnel and stations

Melbourne blowouts tip John Holland into $55.5m loss

The construction giant slid into the red from a profit of almost $100 million a year earlier due to “project delivery issues” and cost blowouts.

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Patrick Prasad William is the co-founder of Rixon Capital, a private credit investor.

Private lender Rixon Capital courts investors for new fund

Rixon is said to be confident it can hit the $500 million mark in the next three to five years.

Ben Madsen leaving a Centennial Park home.

The stressful life of Sydney’s left-of-field distressed debt broker

Ben Madsen has long had a low profile. Now he’s found himself the centre of unwanted attention, and is fighting for his home. Can he come back from the brink?

The growing problem facing Australia’s ‘broken’ housing market

Private credit has backed housing development as banks retreated, but new and smaller players are taking on projects that may never be finished, says a report.

Maury Tognarelli, Chief Executive Officer and Beau Titchkosky.

The Trump trade that matters most for property

What impact does the US president and yields on 10-year US bonds have on commercial property investment? Quite a lot, actually.

EG chief executive Adam Geha.

Property group EG Funds’ venture arm backs start-up Avani

EG owns about 76 per cent of Avani’s ordinary equity.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/commercial-property-finance-hvv