The roundtable agenda is confirmed with registered principals ahead of the event and evolves to reflect current market conditions and the specific investment positions of the room. The following five themes represent the indicative structure for 2027.
DISCUSSION ONE · UK COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
UK Commercial Real Estate in 2027 — Where GCC Capital Is Targeting and Why
GCC family offices have moved beyond prime London residential into UK commercial and industrial real estate — attracted by strong occupier demand, income growth and superior liquidity relative to other geographies, according to Knight Frank. Prime office yields in the City of London at 4.25% compare favourably to Paris at 3% and Berlin at 3.5%. UK industrial and logistics has become a primary GCC target asset class. This discussion examines what GCC family office principals are actively targeting in UK commercial real estate in 2027 — by asset class, by geography and by deal structure — and what UK principals are currently investing in, divesting from or reconsidering in response to the changing UK tax and planning environment.
DISCUSSION TWO · GCC REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITY
GCC Real Estate in 2027 — What the Investment-Driven Cycle Means for UK Co-Investment
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as the primary domestic real estate investment destinations for GCC family offices alongside continued international allocation, according to BLME's Home and Away 2025 report. The GCC market is transitioning from development-driven to investment-driven cycles — with hospitality, branded residences and logistics infrastructure emerging as key asset classes. Saudi Vision 2030 and UAE National Agenda developments are generating structured opportunities for international co-investment alongside GCC family capital. This discussion examines whether and how UK family office principals are accessing GCC real estate — the access structures, the co-investment dynamics, the governance frameworks and the practical barriers — as well as where GCC principals see the most compelling domestic opportunity that UK capital could access as a bilateral partner.
DISCUSSION THREE · SHARIAH-COMPLIANT STRUCTURING
Shariah-Compliant Real Estate Structures — What UK Principals Need to Understand
For GCC family office principals whose capital operates within Shariah compliance frameworks, UK real estate investment requires specific structuring — Islamic mortgages, diminishing Musharakah structures, Ijara arrangements and the specific UK tax treatment of Shariah-compliant finance products. BLME — the largest Shariah-compliant bank in Europe — provides Shariah-compliant property finance specifically for GCC investors in UK real estate, and Trowers & Hamlins has advised extensively on the structuring of GCC investment in UK property. This discussion is facilitated by the roundtable sponsor and covers the practical structuring considerations that UK and GCC principals encounter when deploying capital across the bilateral real estate corridor — including where Shariah compliance requirements constrain deal structures and where they do not.
DISCUSSION FOUR · TAX, PLANNING & CROSS-BORDER STRUCTURE
UK Tax, SDLT, ATED and the Cross-Border Structuring Toolkit for GCC Investors
The UK tax environment for international real estate investors has changed significantly. Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharges for non-UK residents, the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) for properties held in corporate structures above £500,000, capital gains tax on commercial real estate disposals and the abolition of the non-domicile regime from April 2025 all affect how GCC family capital is structured for UK property. At the same time, UK principals investing into GCC real estate must navigate local ownership rules, foreign ownership caps in certain jurisdictions and the specific regulatory requirements of DIFC, ADGM and other Gulf financial centres. This discussion is led by the roundtable sponsor and covers the structural choices available to both UK and GCC principals — what works, what has changed and what the planning window looks like in 2027.
DISCUSSION FIVE · BILATERAL DEALFLOW
Where UK and GCC Family Offices Are Co-Investing in Real Estate — A Closed Principal Exchange
A closing bilateral peer discussion for verified principals only — without the sponsor and under strict Chatham House Rule. The agenda is set by the principals present: which bilateral UK-GCC real estate co-investment opportunities they are currently evaluating, which deal structures they have found workable, what the practical barriers to cross-border co-investment have been in practice, and what they wish they had understood about UK-GCC bilateral real estate investment before they started. The most direct peer exchange available to a principal currently building or considering a bilateral UK-GCC real estate programme.