KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the completion of KKR’s acquisition of Twenty Anson, a prime-grade office building in Singapore’s central business district (CBD). The transaction marks KKR’s first real estate office investment in Singapore and reflects KKR’s confidence in Singapore’s position as a leading regional financial hub and the long-term prospects of its office real estate market.
According to the industry sources, Twenty Anson is a 206,163-square-foot commercial building in the heart of the Tanjong Pagar precinct and part of Singapore’s CBD completed in the year 2009. The building sits at the nexus of multiple new office, hotel and retail, and residential developments, and is situated near public transportation networks. The prime-grade asset is also recognized for its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) credentials, having attained both LEED Certified Gold and the BCA Green Mark Platinum certifications.
According to the firm’s claims, KKR within Singapore and Southeast Asia endures to be confident about commercial real estate opportunities on the back of market trends and boosting out the macroeconomic tailwinds. Sustainable real estate is also a focus, given the region’s growing emphasis on sustainable cities and as urbanization continues to drive development.
KKR sources further added on that the firm is making its investment from its Asia Pacific real estate strategy. Twenty Anson is KKR’s latest real estate investment in the Asia Pacific and adds to past investments in key markets around the region, including Namsan Square, an office tower located in Seoul’s CBD, K Twin Towers, two prime office towers in Seoul’s CBD, World Trade Center, an office complex in Melbourne, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, a landmark hotel in the financial core of Sydney’s CBD, and a mixed-use property near the iconic Shanghai Bund.
Jeremy Chee, Principal and KKR’s real estate lead in Southeast Asia stated, “Our acquisition of Twenty Anson is aligned with our strategy of pursuing opportunities in Southeast Asia, including in Singapore that will benefit from long-term tailwinds such as the city-state’s status as a leading destination for corporations’ Asia headquarters, and as Singapore re-opens and stabilizes in a post-COVID environment. We are also attracted by Twenty Anson’s strong ESG credentials, which tenants increasingly seek and complements KKR’s global expertise in ESG.”
Tom Lee, Managing Director of Real Estate at KKR, stated, “We are excited to make our first real estate office investment in Singapore with Twenty Anson, a high-quality asset strategically located in the up-and-coming Tanjong Pagar precinct. We are optimistic about Singapore’s economic growth and the long-term prospects of its office real estate sector, buoyed by the country’s strong recovery from the pandemic, macro tailwinds, and supportive government policy. Singapore continues to be a key part of our real estate strategy.”