Realty Income’s Sumit Roy: Why private fundraising will now fuel listed property specialists

In this episode, we explore a trend reshaping the relationship between public and private real estate markets: listed REITs stepping confidently into private capital fundraising.  

While many first-time private managers continue to face an uphill battle in securing commitments, a different cohort is gaining meaningful traction. Last week, data center specialist Digital Realty raised $3.25 billion for its debut private fund, targeting hyperscale development in the US. The fundraising effort ranks alongside the top five private real estate funds closed so far this year.  

Meanwhile, sale-leaseback specialist REIT Realty Income is accelerating its own private market push. In just a few months, the REIT has launched two major private joint ventures, most recently with Apollo Global Management. In March, Apollo said it will deploy $1 billion for a 49 percent stake in the newly formed JV with Realty Income. Earlier this year, the REIT formed a US logistics venture with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC for a total capitalization of $1.5 billion.  

In this episode, Realty Income’s president and CEO Sumit Roy joins Jonathan Brasse, PEI’s editor-in-chief, real estate, to unpack how scale, performance, track record, sector specialization and meaningful co-investment are in line with investor demands. Roy also reveals how the firm plans to double, or even triple, its private partnerships by this time next year. 

The discussion points to a shift that the market is increasingly seeing unfold: more specialist listed REITs are becoming suitably positioned to follow in the footsteps of firms like Realty Income and Digital Realty, becoming a new type of contender in private real estate fundraising in the process.