Comment


With a super-prime location and at twice the height of all others, the Qatari pavilion is quite a statement of intent.


Rumours that it was on wheels and moving ever closer to the London pavilion so it could more easily swoop on vast swathes


of the capital’s real estate could not be confirmed as this last EG MIPIM Daily went to press. But if it wasn’t, don’t bet against it next year. There has been much talk of the wall of


global money looking to find a rewarding home, but there was little sign of actual movement over the week. Even that talk though was enough to


upset the banks, who are growing tired, it seems, of missing out on investment opportunities to cash-rich investors. Suffering bankers, of course, attract


little sympathy, though the market may warm to financiers if they continue to act as decisively as they did this week. News that the two major UK property


lenders are set to offload €1.4bn of Irish property and loans buoyed the mood. Ulster Bank, part of Royal Bank of


Editor, MIPIM Dailies Nathan Cross Art Editor, MIPIM Dailies Deborah Ford Group Production Editor Stuart Nissen Group Art Editor Chris Gardner Editor, Estates Gazette Damian Wild


Scotland, is to dispose of €1bn of loan- related investment property, while Lloyds-owned Bank of Scotland Ireland is also understood to be putting together a €400m portfolio to sell. This pace of activity may persuade the bankers who were in town and keeping a pretty low profile to step out of the shadows come next March. In many way delegates got everything


they could have wished for this year: banks releasing stock, economic stability and even sunshine that eventually arrived. But there was frustration too.


Development finance is and will be thin on the ground. Stability is never enough. And there were precious few growth signals in Cannes or beyond. Most will leave with their glass half full.


DAMIAN WILD EDITOR


Estates Gazette / Europerty MIPIM editorial team Jo Bourke, Tiziana Cauli, Noella Pio Kivlehan, Samatha McClary, Stacey Meadwell, Bridget O’Connell, Diana Petrowicz, David Sands, Paul Strohm


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COVERAGE  If you missed any of Estates Gazette’s coverage this year, catch up at estatesgazette.com/ mipim. There’s audio and video and all our daily editions can be viewed. Go to the App Store to download the iPad edition.


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