Upcoming Investments

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will support 30,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) projects in 2025, with a total financial allocation of 1.7 trillion tenge (US$3.4 billion), said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin during a government meeting on March 4. Prime Minister instructs to strengthen investor support and to involve banks in economic development. Photo credit: primeminister.kz New guarantee funds The government will establish two new guarantee funds to bolster business support. One fund will focus on SMEs, increasing loan guarantees and interest rate subsidies. The Prime...

The rapid push to make alternatives widely available to individual investors raises significant concerns about due diligence, risk perception, and investor educationIN recent years, alternative investments – such as private equity (PE) and hedge funds – have surged into the mainstream financial landscape. Traditionally preferred by large endowments and sovereign funds, these asset classes are increasingly accessible to individual or retail investors. This democratisation promises enhanced diversification, attractive return potential, and risk reduction. In Asia and Singapore specifically, we have seen a series of new digital offerings putting pressure on...

Thinking about pooling funds to invest in property?Property syndicates offer a pathway for property developers and investors to collectively participate in real estate investment opportunities.The Urban Developer is delighted to host an interactive webinar with three industry experts that will unpack the essential information required to master property investment syndicates.Whether you’re an investor, developer or industry professional, this course will arm you with insights from top legal, accounting and finance experts.REGISTER NOWProgram at a glanceLegal and complianceThe legal frameworks, regulatory compliance and key agreements required to establish a property syndicate.Setting...

Members of New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s cabinet appeared in Albany Monday to highlight executive budget proposals.  The cabinet members gathered at Rockefeller College about a month before the budget is due. The message: the Democrat’s administration is focused on improving affordability for New Yorkers, and also increasing public safety.Bea Hanson is Director of the Office of Victim Services, which funds 250 programs across the state to help victims of crime with advocacy in the courts and counseling services.“We've seen real drops in crime. We're at a murder homicide rate...

The Venture Center Arkansas Fund, launched last year and now raising $10 million, announced Monday (March 3) it has made investments in four state-based startups, with three based in central Arkansas and one in Northwest Arkansas. Billed as a new source of investment capital for technology-driven companies headquartered in Arkansas, the fund will focus on early to growth-stage B2B companies in high-value sectors that are important to the state’s and the region’s prosperity. Since launching, the VC Arkansas Fund has invested in four Arkansas-based companies: ● Lexamica (lexamica.com), a Little...

Alright, listen up, because the AI game is changing, and you don’t want to get left behind. Yeah, the chip guys, like Nvidia, they had their moment. The first AI wave? They rode it high. But guess what? That ride’s over. Nvidia’s been flatlining since June 2024. Remember the internet boom? Everyone thought Cisco and Intel were the kings, right? Wrong. The real money was made by the companies that actually used the internet to build something new: e-commerce, search engines, social media. And it’s the same deal with AI....

SANTA CLARA — A tech campus in Santa Clara has landed a new owner in a property purchase that suggests office market values are continuing to wobble at the start of 2025.Four Corners Properties, a Los Altos-based real estate investment firm headed up by Bruce Burkard, bought the office hub on Jay Street through an all-cash deal for just under $21.2 million, a Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office grant deed shows.Street-level view of a two-building office campus at 3250 through 3270 Jay Street in Santa Clara. (Google Maps)The price was one-fourth...

Picture courtesy of Bangkok Condos Once a beacon of opportunity, Thailand’s vibrant condo market for Chinese investors is now dimming, as economic clouds gather over China’s middle class. Stephen Yao, a former Chinese investments broker in Bangkok, and Pattaya, has seen his formerly bustling schedule dwindle. In 2017 and 2018, he made a staggering 32 trips from China’s Guangdong province to Thailand. But recent years have painted a starkly different picture. Once riding high on the wave of China’s booming economy, Chinese middle-class investors eagerly snapped up real estate in...

The private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investments in growth PE-stage companies have reached nearly $1.1 billion in the first two months of 2025, according to a report by research firm Venture Intelligence. The PE investments exclude those from the real estate sector. This is a stupendous growth against $594 million during the same period last year (CY2024), data showed by Venture Intelligence. According to the report, there has been a pick up in PE-VC investments in “mature startups and companies floated by larger groups that have chosen to...

David Crown, CEO and Founder of L.A. Property Management Group and Crown Commercial Property Management. getty I’m always surprised when I talk to a real estate agent or broker who doesn’t have a rock-solid property manager in their back pocket to refer clients to. An agent or broker’s success often hinges not only on the ability to close deals but also on the ability to provide value that extends beyond the transaction. Let’s explore why a strong partnership provides a powerful boost to a professional’s long-term success. 1. Fostering Long-Term...