Helvetica Property launches new real estate fund

Helvetica Property launched its first regulated real estate fund, Helvetica Swiss Commercial (HSC), in December 2016, and now the Swiss commercial real estate fund Helvetica Swiss Opportunity (HSO) is to follow.

HSO is a contractual investment fund under Swiss law regulated by FINMA and open to qualified investors, it said. It will invest in commercial real estate throughout Switzerland and pursue a hybrid investment strategy that combines a high appreciation component with an attractive income component, Helvetica Property said. The fund's focus will be on commercial properties with high appreciation potential as well as properties with special uses and long-term leases with sustainable and stable income, it said. "To my knowledge, this is the first real estate fund in Switzerland to pursue a hybrid investment strategy," says Hans R. Holdener, CEO and managing partner of the fund company.

The portfolio of the new fund consists of eight properties at the start. This means that a distribution of five percent can already be promised for the first fiscal year 2019, Holdener added. The fund management also holds out the prospect of listing HSO by 2023. The subscription period starts on October 8, 2018. (ah)