ADIA Chair Bought 49% Stake in Trump Co for $500M and More Asia Real Estate Headlines

Clues to Abu Dhabi’s recent data centre milestones may be emerging thanks to a Wall Street Journal report, with that story leading our look at real estate headlines from around Asia Pacific today. Geopolitics may also be behind Hong Kong’s superman encountering some kryptonite in Panama, and China Vanke reports an $11.8 billion loss for 2025. 

ADIA Chair Bought 49% Stake in Trump Co for $500M Before Winning AI Chip Access

Four days before Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, lieutenants to an Abu Dhabi royal secretly signed a deal with the Trump family to purchase a 49 percent stake in their fledgling cryptocurrency venture for half a billion dollars, according to company documents and people familiar with the matter. The buyers would pay half up front, steering $187 million to Trump family entities.

The deal with World Liberty Financial, which hasn’t previously been reported, was signed by Eric Trump, the president’s son. At least $31 million was also slated to flow to entities affiliated with the family of Steve Witkoff, a World Liberty co-founder who weeks earlier had been named US envoy to the Middle East, the documents said. Read more>>

Li Ka-shing Takes a Hit as Panama Strikes Down CK Hutchison’s Port Deal

Panama’s top court has ruled that the contract granted to Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings to operate two ports near the Panama Canal is unconstitutional, delivering a win for Donald Trump’s drive to rein in China’s control of strategic infrastructure in Latin America.

The ruling, announced by the court late Thursday in a short post on Instagram, injected fresh uncertainty into the Hong Kong conglomerate’s long-running effort to sell off the facilities. CK Hutchison’s shares fell as much as 5.7 percent in Hong Kong trading Friday, the steepest drop since April. Read more>>

China Vanke Loss Widened to $11.8B in 2025

China Vanke reported that its losses widened by two-thirds to a record last year, citing a sharp decline in its property developments and additional provisions.

The troubled developer’s preliminary net loss in 2025 bloated to RMB 82 billion ($11.8 billion), compared with RMB 49.5 billion the previous year, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange Friday. Read more>>

Singapore’s UOL Sells Tianjin Hotel for $33.5M

Singaporean developer UOL Group has sold its 319-room Pan Pacific Tianjin hotel in China to a private buyer identified as Jiang Yang for RMB 238 million ($33.5 million).

UOL said in a statement to the Singapore Exchange on 30 January that it was selling the hotel at 1 Zhang Zi Zhong Road in Tianjin’s Hongqiao District as part of the ongoing reconstitution of its overall property portfolio. Read more>>

CapitaLand Ascott Trust Keeps Faith in US Student Housing Despite Weaker Profit

The managers of CapitaLand Ascott Trust said they remained optimistic about the US student housing market even as gross profit from the segment fell 15 percent year-on-year in the second half of 2025. 

In an earnings briefing Friday morning, following the results release the night before, CEO of the managers Serena Teo pointed to temporary supply shocks and “execution” factors for the decline in gross profit, rather than a deterioration in demand fundamentals. Read more>>

Japan Hospitality Operator Section L Opens Akihabara Property

Japanese hotel operator Section L has opened its 13th apartment-hotel in Tokyo, according to an announcement on 1 February, after converting a former residential building to cater to travellers seeking a mix of Tokyo’s pop culture offerings and comfortable accommodation.

Howard Ho, CEO of Section L, described Section L Akihabara as a 22-key, design-led property near Akihabara station in the city’s Electric Town, pointing to the property’s location enjoying strong recognition among travellers drawn by its arcades, capsule toys and vibrant neon skylines. Read more>>

AirTrunk Founder Robin Khuda Pays $14M for Suburban Sydney Site

AirTrunk founder and CEO Robin Khuda, through his luxury development business Ondas, has acquired a mixed commercial and residential property in northern Sydney’s Mosman suburb for A$20 million ($13.9 million). 

The 587 square metre (6,318 square foot) site at 713-715 Military Road is fully leased to seven tenants, with the sale reflecting a price of A$25,000 per square metre of land and a 4 percent net passing yield, underscoring strong demand for income-producing village assets with long-term development potential on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. Read more>>

Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust Boosts Distributions Despite Dip in Revenue

Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust announced a distribution per unit of S$0.0205 for the third quarter ended 31 December, up 2.5 percent year-on-year. 

Despite the DPU rise, the SGX-listed trust reported a 1.9 percent year-on-year dip in Q3 revenue to S$219.4 million ($172.5 million). Net property income also fell 1.2 percent to S$164.9 million. The trust’s manager attributed the decline to reduced overseas contributions and the absence of full-period income from TS Ikebukuro Building and Abas Shin-Yokohama Building, both divested in August 2025. Read more>>

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