News

Australian commercial real estate markets are showing signs of positive change, according to Benjamin Martin-Henry, Head of Private Asset Research Pacific at MSCI.

ASIC publishes insights from Reportable Situations Regime

Greg Preston and Benjamin Martin-Henry discuss the current state-of-play in property, at a time where the greatest certainty is change.

The wholesale investor test thresholds will remain unchanged, after the parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (PJC) issued its report on the wholesale investor test inquiry, which commenced in March 2024.

Nominations are now open for the PFA Innovation in Sustainability Award which acknowledges Property Funds that have implemented groundbreaking and inventive approaches toward environmental sustainability within their real estate holdings.

ASIC’s focus on private credit is a key theme for 2025 as the regulator reviews private markets with an eye to ‘improving transparency’. Part of this sharper focus on private credit lending includes issuing notices to retail private credit managers.

ASIC 2025 enforcement priorities – new focus on ‘unscrupulous’ property investment schemes:

ASIC has placed what it calls ‘unscrupulous property investment schemes’ firmly in its sights as parts of its enforcement priorities for 2025.

Unlisted property fund managers should heed ASIC’s two recent wins in enforcing DDO, and take the opportunity to review their compliance with the regime, according to Charlie Renney, Senior Associate at Hall & Wilcox Lawyers.

Sam Sproats is an Executive Director Funds Management, for Growthpoint Properties Australia, an ASX-listed Real Estate Investment Trust which invests in high quality industrial and office properties across Australia. Sam has more than 28 years of experience in real estate funds management, and currently leads Growthpoint’s funds management business.

ASIC has released a report on DDO (ASIC REP 795), which offers more guidance on distribution practices for product issuers, including consumer questionnaires and Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws will be expanded and simplified under legislation introduced to Parliament by the Attorney-General in September 2024.

In yesterday’s boom market there was limited time for due diligence, which sometimes meant essential steps were overlooked, according to Dimity Lee, Associate Director of Investment Valuation and Capital Markets Advisory at Preston Rowe Paterson.

Property Funds Association of Australia (PFA) has been invited to present to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (PJC), regarding wholesale investor and client test thresholds, on 4 October 2024.