OMERS, Japanese partners establish global investment fund

OMERS has joined with two Japanese partners in officially launching a US$7.5-billion global investment fund.

The newly minted Global Strategic Investment Alliance brings together the investment arm of OMERS, Japan’s Pension Fund Association (PFA) and a consortium led by Mitsubishi Corp.

Initial commitments include US$5 billion from OMERS and US$1.25 billion each from PFA and Mitsubishi-led Japan Infrastructure Investment Partners LP.

“We’re very pleased to be partnering with these sophisticated investors in pursuit of high-quality, large infrastructure investments that we can own over the long term,” said Jacques Demers, president and CEO of OMERS Strategic Investments.

“Based upon the feedback in the market, we anticipate welcoming a number of other forward-thinking pension plans and other long-term institutional investors from around the world into the GSIA over the next 12 to 18 months.”

That would being in billions of dollars more in commitments to the fund, he said.

The GSIA’s goal is for like-minded, long-term institutional investors in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East to work together in pursuit of attractive, large-scale infrastructure investment assets, mainly in North America and Western Europe, OMERS said in a release.

All GSIA investments will be originated and managed by OMERS’ infrastructure investment arm, Borealis Infrastructure. Administrative support services will be provided by Rosewater Global, an OMERS affiliate.