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Financing

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.

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.

March

Paul Giezekamp.

He promised big returns. Then millions of dollars disappeared

Paul Giezekamp promised to deliver a fortune developing land into townhouses. Instead, liquidators allege he spent the money on “personal expenditure”.

December 2024

Gerry Harvey.

Gerry Harvey reveals his biggest problem with property development

The retail billionaire and sideline property investor says costs will keep rising, and that’s bad for projects – as well as for the people who work on them.

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Now non-bank lending with Macquarie: Private credit and investment manager IDA has invested in Esprit de Vie’s retirement living project at Mermaid Waters in Gold Coast. 

Macquarie buys into private credit provider IDA

The investment bank is tapping the demand for development funding in Australia’s chronically undersupplied housing market.

Local development in Kensington, Shemara Wikramanayake, Dan McLennan, Matt Berg, Andrew Irvine.

New tax laws no silver bullet for build-to-rent, NAB warns

Last week’s legislation halving the tax rate for foreign investors is a good start, but rival Macquarie agrees other factors also drag on projects.

October 2024

Major banks have split on prudential policy settings.

Banking regulator rejects calls to cut home loan interest rate buffer

APRA chairman John Lonsdale has hit back at the Australian Banking Association at a parliamentary hearing on Friday.

August 2024

Making a place: The Pillars cofounders (excluding Jonathan Lui), from left Bradley Delamare, Cherryl Mack, Matthew Browne, Emma Bloomfield, and Steve Grace.

The faces behind Sydney’s new $10m members’ club

For $20,000 a year, members of Australia’s new tech and funding community club can take an ice bath, or breastfeed, in a space of their own.

Real estate investment trusts have lost some appeal as interest rates have climbed.

It was a hot real estate trade. Now investors are worried

For individual investors, the chance to invest with Wall Street’s elite was too good to pass up. It’s not looking so good for them now.

David Lyall is the managing partner of Millwood, a major non-bank lender.

Overdue loans swamp private credit giant lending to Sydney’s wealthy

The local lender has previously written loans for some of Sydney’s most colourful businessmen. Growing arrears aren’t always made clear to its investors.

Tim Peel, the chief financial officer of Scape, has lowered the student-housing operator’s debt by about $8 million a year.

How Scape saved $8m by shaking off private credit

The student housing operator’s refinancing push has found ample support from global banks looking for alternatives to office property exposures.

July 2024

Public Hospitality Group’s Jon Adgemis at the Australian Open this year.

Overhaul for Adgemis’ Public Hospitality Group after refinancing

The Jon Adgemis-chaired pubs empire has completed its refinancing with Deutsche Bank, with the former KPMG dealmaker to focus on redeveloping its pubs.

May 2024

 Korean investors paid $395 million for specialised facilities as part of the NDIS scheme. It was all a lie.

How South Korea’s giant pension funds fell prey to $395m NDIS housing scam

The elaborate fraud succeeded by making grand claims, name-dropping Australia’s biggest property players, and was only discovered by chance.

Man behind $395m NDIS investment fraud gets 12 years in prison

The verdict brings to an end a criminal matter in which the former property developer used fake documentation to secure financing from Korean pension funds.

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April 2024

Urbnsurf became the first company in the world to operate two surf parks last weekend when it opened its new facility in Sydney’s Homebush.

Bankers try on a new alternative asset class – surfing

The risk is high, but Urbnsurf – now backed by Nomura and a special situations lender – is trying to prove wave parks can be serious business.

Now including 1000 student rooms: Artist’s impression of Melbourne’s Gurrowa Place project at Queen Victoria Market, which will also include an office tower and build-to-rent housing.

Scape closes third joint venture with $1b student housing fund

The private developer of purpose-built student accommodation has paired again with funding partners APG and Ivanhoe Cambridge to develop 3000 new rooms.

March 2024

Cushman & Wakefield’s Noral Wild: “The demands on data – they can’t even keep up with what they think is going to be needed to service the AI component of all of that.”

Cushman & Wakefield taps Noral Wild to lead, deepens alternatives push

The commercial agency’s appointment of a new CEO for Australia and New Zealand signals the trends in commercial property it is aiming to tap.

More, built faster: Demand has been strong in the federal government’s first social and affordable housing tender.

First tender surge for Housing Future funds

Public housing waiting lists make it crucial to expand funding beyond an initially planned 8000 homes, investors say.

Public Hospitality’s Jon Adgemis (left) and Ricos Tacos chef Toby Wilson.

Debt-laden Adgemis mortgages mum’s and grandmother’s homes

The ex-KPMG dealmaker has denied the loans are related to the hospitality empire he is hoping to refinance.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/financing-1nq2