Investment and trust in Government linked REITs

In a joint commentary, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business Professor of Quantitative Finance (Practice) David Lee, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management Dr. Yan Li and SMU Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) Research Fellow Dr. Li Ching discussed the significance of Government-linked REITs (GLREITs). They noted that research by SKBI/SMU had found that the Tobin's Q Ratio, return on equity and return on capital of GLREITs are significantly higher than other types of REITs, and therefore the firm value and overall profitability of GLREITs are also higher. Although the Chinese government has started pushing for financial reforms and financial innovation in recent years, especially asset securitization, it is rare to find REIT entities and products in China similar to those in Singapore, or are trading in the international market. They are of the view that China can learn from the experience of Singapore's GLREITs. Given that China's state-owned companies own the best property projects in China, they can undertake asset securitization through the REIT process, and allow their high-quality properties to enter the Asset Management Market, and become a part of Asset Allocation with the right incentives. 

Source
Lianhe Zaobao