Kotak Realty Fund ties up with DivyaSree Developers to start US$ 400 mn office fund

Bengaluru: Kotak Realty Fund has launched a $400 million fund which will partner with Bengaluru-based DivyaSree Developers to develop and acquire commercial office assets across India.

The $400 million India Office Assets Fund I is anchored by a subsidiary of UAE-based sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). DivyaSree is the exclusive development partner and property advisor for the fund and Kotak Investment Advisors Ltd (KIAL) will act as investment manager, the investment firm said on Tuesday.

It is structured as an alternative investment fund (AIF) under SEBI regulations.

The fund’s strategy is to develop greenfield projects as well as acquire under-construction and completed assets across key office markets like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai.

This is a unique occasion when a limited partner (LP) like ADIA has stepped in to anchor an entire fund under an investor-developer partnership.

The Kotak-DivyaSree fund comes soon after the «¤??4750 crore initial public offering (IPO) of Blackstone Group Lp-sponsored Embassy Office Parks real estate investment trust (REIT) opened on Monday, in a game changer for India’s real estate sector. This is India’s first real estate investment trust or REIT.

“We have a compelling opportunity to develop and operate quality commercial assets for marquee global customers. This is the first time in India where a financial institution and a developer have come together on a fund platform," said Vikas Chimakurthy, CEO of Kotak Realty Fund.

India’s commercial office market is on an upswing and top developers, funded by global investors such as Blackstone Group LP and GIC Pte Ltd, are leaving no stone unturned to grow their portfolios this year, anticipating high demand and good momentum in leasing.

Bhaskar N. Raju, managing director, DivyaSree Developers said, “...With this fund, we will consolidate our position in the three cities and also expand footprints in new key markets of Mumbai, Pune and National Capital Region (NCR)."

DivyaSree currently has commercial projects across South Indian cities of Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, where DivyaSree is a major player.

S Sriniwasan, Managing Director & CEO, KIAL said: “As we scale the asset management business, we will work with likeminded partners and create appropriate platforms to address a variety of capital requirements in India."

The growth in office space is despite a sustained slowdown in the residential sector where several realty companies are saddled with unsold apartments. This has led a number of developers to shift towards office projects, although the bulk of the office sector is still concentrated with a few top developers and investors.

Bengaluru led the overall office leasing in the country in 2018, according to India Office Market View report by CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd Tech companies dominated leasing activity, followed by engineering and manufacturing and telecom operators.

In March, ADIA also committed $500 million to a new distressed fund backed by Kotak Investment Advisors Ltd, the alternative investment arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.