UBS Asset Management

UBS Asset Management operates as a significant component of UBS Group AG, a Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services firm with headquarters in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland. The broader UBS Group maintains a presence in over 50 countries and operates from all major international financial centers globally. UBS Asset Management itself employs approximately 3,300 individuals worldwide, including around 830 investment professionals situated in key investment hubs. The firm's main offices are located in prominent cities such as Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York City, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and Zürich. This extensive global network allows the company to leverage local expertise while drawing upon comprehensive international resources to serve its diverse client base.

The company provides a wide array of investment capabilities and styles across various traditional and alternative asset classes. Its services and advisory support are extended to institutions, wholesale intermediaries, and Global Wealth Management clients around the world. UBS Asset Management offers investment solutions spanning equities, fixed income, currency, hedge funds, global real estate, infrastructure, and private equity. These capabilities can also be integrated into multi-asset strategies to meet specific client objectives. The firm specializes in alternative asset classes, including real estate, infrastructure, private credit, private equity, hedge funds, and food and agriculture investments on a global scale. As of a recent update, UBS Asset Management oversees approximately USD 2 trillion in assets under management.

Within its broader investment offerings, UBS Asset Management's Real Estate business actively manages a substantial portfolio of real estate investments. This segment manages approximately USD 103.2 billion in real estate assets globally, positioning the firm as one of the largest real estate managers worldwide. The company is recognized as a leading real estate investment manager in Europe and Switzerland, and a top real estate multi-manager globally, with a history in alternative investment management spanning over 85 years. Its real estate capabilities encompass core and value-added strategies, alongside other approaches across the risk/return spectrum. These strategies are delivered through various structures, including open- and closed-end private funds, REITs, customized investment structures, individually managed accounts, and real estate securities.

UBS Asset Management demonstrates significant experience in the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector, particularly within the United Kingdom. In March 2022, the firm's Real Estate & Private Markets (REPM) business acquired a student accommodation asset in Nottingham for GBP 59.8 million, as part of its UK core real estate strategy. This acquisition was noted to support a key focus area for the strategy, which involves targeting income-accretive assets within the student accommodation sector to achieve further capital growth. This transaction also complemented the strategy's existing PBSA holdings, which have consistently maintained high occupancy levels, providing strong income returns.

Further expanding its UK PBSA portfolio, in September 2022, UBS Asset Management's REPM business committed £64.7 million to forward-fund a 367-bed PBSA project in Redcliff Quarter, Bristol. This marked the sixth PBSA investment for the firm under its UK core real estate investment strategy, with a focus on leading Russell Group university cities across the UK. The company also made an earlier entry into the UK student accommodation market in January 2015, when its UBS Triton Property Fund funded a 210-bed student accommodation block in Newcastle Upon Tyne for GBP 16 million. Beyond the UK, UBS Asset Management has also become an investor in Scape Australia's student housing fund, which manages a portfolio of 16,000 beds across 33 operational assets.