Kuwait Financial Centre, better known as Markaz, is looking to invest significantly in international real estate opportunities in 2025, with a focus on Europe and the US, European Real Estate Business Development Head Lisa Amin told IFN Investor.
“Our approach remains flexible, analysing each opportunity on a deal-by-deal basis to ensure strong underlying fundamentals. Markaz will continue to explore Shariah compliant investment opportunities as part of our broader real estate strategy.”
Acknowledging current geopolitical uncertainties, Lisa emphasized Markaz will assess the impact of market developments to make investment decisions and are prepared to wait for the right opportunities.
Given that the US was Markaz’s initial international property market, the Kuwait-based firm will still be exploring prospects there alongside its long-time partners—focusing on logistics, residential, and senior living sectors.
“We are also looking at alternative asset classes, staying agile by partnering with experts in the field, including opportunities in self-storage development.”
In Europe, Markaz remains interested in the logistics and residential sectors and is actively evaluating opportunities in key markets such as Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
The firm is also considering and monitoring its Poland project exits while assessing new investment prospects across the continent.
All these investment prospects will be explored in conjunction with long-time partners “who have skin in the game, share our risk and return appetites, and understand our investment philosophy. Building long-term relationships with the right partners enables efficient analysis and execution,” Lisa noted.
Recognizing the growing demand for ethical and Shariah compliant structures, Markaz is actively assessing potential opportunities that align with these principles.
“In particular, we look forward to potential collaboration with institutions like BLME (Bank of London and The Middle East) to identify and structure Shariah compliant investments in the UK, ensuring they meet both our strategic objectives and the requirements of Islamic finance.”
Closer to home, Markaz is expanding its regional footprint beyond the Kuwait market. Markaz will be opening an office in Saudi Arabia at the end of this year and is in the process of obtaining the necessary licenses to expand its product range in that market, added Lisa
