رئيس قسم الشرق الأوسط في شركة Round Hill Capital لـ CNBC عربية: نسعى للتوسّع في منطقة الخليج ولدينا محادثات مع شركات عقارية
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00:00 Definitely, the high interest rate is affecting real estate a lot
00:06 We are focusing more on accommodation
00:10 student housing, residential and senior living
00:15 If you want, we study the cycle of life
00:18 from students to residents to senior living
00:21 But definitely, the high interest rate is affecting real estate
00:28 But the good thing about accommodation is that it is not affected
00:35 Why? Because people want to stay in their homes
00:39 People are not buying a house in Barcelona
00:42 or there is no development
00:43 So at least our assets are performing well
00:47 because the rentals are increasing
00:52 Compared to offices, compared to commercial real estate
00:56 we are definitely better
00:58 That's why we have been focusing on this sector for 21 years
01:02 because it is kind of resilient to the economic fluctuations
01:07 Definitely, when it comes to the time of loan renewals
01:12 the interest rate is definitely increasing
01:14 But we are able to move around that
01:20 by attracting more tenants, students, residents and senior living
01:27 When I look at the strategic focus or the geographical focus
01:33 we see that there is more capital in Europe, in Britain and in the US
01:39 Do you have a goal to expand to the Gulf?
01:41 Right, you know that real estate is local by nature
01:45 You should be present where you make investments
01:48 We are in 15 countries where we invest
01:51 In Europe, as you said, and in the UK and in the US
01:55 So we are definitely in the region
01:58 and we are currently testing this topic
02:02 because we would like to have a partnership with a real estate developer or a real estate player
02:07 because we see a demand for affordable housing
02:11 which we specialize in and for student housing
02:14 because we see many expats coming to the region, to Abu Dhabi, to the UAE
02:20 So there is a need for affordable housing
02:23 and there is also a need for student housing
02:25 because there are many universities that are developing and opening
02:27 Do you have talks with universities in the region or real estate companies?
02:31 We have talks with real estate companies and also with sovereign wealth funds
02:36 - In the Gulf area? - Right, in the Gulf area
02:40 We also have experience in property technology, PropTech
02:44 which helps a building to transform from a normal building to a smart building
02:51 So this is something we can also provide our expertise in
02:55 On top of that, we also have investors from Europe
02:59 so we can also bring them
03:01 Today, you have assets under management worth almost $7 billion
03:05 What is the target for the next year?
03:08 Real estate is behind interest rates
03:15 so people in this field can't exit and sell
03:22 Our goal is to maintain our assets and improve them
03:26 How do you improve them?
03:27 Your customers are not only investors but also tenants
03:33 So when you manage student housing, you are in touch with students
03:39 and you know what they want and what their demands are
03:42 So you create a common area for them
03:45 you create a technology-friendly or even an environmental-friendly ESG
03:51 All of this improves the value of the building
03:55 and also improves the return on investment
03:57 and when you sell it, everyone wins
04:01 whether it's the tenants or the investors
04:04 So next year, we are targeting to maintain our assets and to perform better our assets
04:11 We wish you all the best in your work
04:13 Mr. Rami Sayegh, you are the director of Roundhill Capital in the Middle East