Institutional Investors

Vice president Andreas Davidsen says after 20 years of challenges the firm is to ‘focus more on the agribusiness value chain’.

The growth of special purpose acquisition companies last year added more than $40bn to the pile of capital chasing buyout deals, according to the consulting firm's latest report.

Stafford Capital Partners’ Stephen Addicott says NPS’s $150m commitment to the firm’s forestry fund could ‘underpin future commitments from other South Korean pensions.’

The open-ended fund plans to devote 20% of its investments to farmland infrastructure and timber investments in the US, LatAm, Europe and Australasia.

Emerging and diverse managers received less than 3% of capital commitments closed in H1, raising fears they are being left behind as the pandemic changes fundraising.

Co-founder Amit Bouri says new analysis helps set the stage for agriculture to drive a ‘race to the top’ in strengthening performance ratings and benchmarks for impact investment.

Senior vice-president Mario Therrien says the tie-up provides the C$333bn pension with a ‘window’ into a sector it sees as a real assets portfolio extension well-suited to its long-term sustainability focus.

The Impact Alternatives Fund will invest up to 30% of its capital in regen ag and up to 20% in environmental assets in response to investor feedback.

As of March 31, OCERS’ investment in the AAF was valued at $64.1m, which constitutes a 6.4% net IRR. The $16.7bn pension committed $40m to the fund in 2010.

The current fundraising environment for agribusiness is seen as similar to the period immediately following the global financial crisis.