Italy saw the number of real estate funds increase by 167% in 2006 from 58 to 155, and this figure is seen coming close to the 200 threshold by the end of 2007, according to Mario Breglia, chairman of Italy's independent institute for analysis and research Scenari Immobiliari. Listed retail funds in the country turned in the best performance in Europe last year, with 7.9%, an increase of 26% year-on-year.
Finnish real estate manager Sirius Capital Partners, through a recently formed affiliate, has purchased a portfolio of four residential buildings in Helsinki, Finland.
