Friday, 2 October 2026
Westend Bank is entering Germany’s institutional real estate investment management market through the acquisition of ABN AMRO’s Real Estate Investment Management business. The operation, previously known as HAL REIM, is being transferred to the bank’s wholly owned subsidiary Westend Real Assets with effect from 2 October 2026.
The transaction includes the existing investment management activities and a team of 20 employees. Current mandates, investor relationships and operating structures will continue under Westend Real Assets, providing continuity for the platform’s institutional clients while giving the business a new ownership structure from which to expand.
Based in Frankfurt, Westend Bank is wholly owned by the Hopp family and provides financing and family-office services to wealthy families, family offices, companies and institutional investors. The addition of Westend Real Assets broadens the bank’s activities into institutional property and other real-asset investments.
Thomas Rosenfeld, spokesman of Westend Bank’s Management Board, said the transaction gives the bank an established team combining property and capital-markets expertise with an existing position among institutional investors. Westend intends to develop the platform further, targeting both institutional capital and entrepreneurial families with additional real-asset investment products.
Westend Real Assets currently manages approximately EUR 725 million across five special funds and works with more than 30 institutional investors in German-speaking markets. Its investment activities include specialised property sectors such as food-anchored retail, outpatient healthcare facilities and data centres.
Patrick Brinker, Chairman of the Executive Management of Westend Real Assets, said the existing investment and governance arrangements will remain in place following the ownership change. At the same time, the backing of Westend Bank is expected to provide additional scope for expansion, with residential property identified as one potential area for future growth.
The acquisition gives Westend Bank an immediate presence in institutional real estate investment management rather than requiring it to establish a platform from the ground up. For Westend Real Assets, the change provides a new long-term shareholder while retaining its existing team, mandates and EUR 725 million portfolio, with the new owner planning to expand the business across real estate and other real-asset strategies.
