Artificial Intelligence Intern - Renewable Power & Transition

BHV Marais files for court-supervised reorganization after a turbulent period. Fashion 28 October, 2026 The iconic BHV Marais department store filed its petition for court-supervised reorganization today with the Lyon Commercial Court. Management emphasizes that this step is necessary to safeguard the recovery plan and preserve jobs for 700 employees. The department store will remain open as usual during the proceedings. Financial impasse with landlord. Management, led by Karl-Stéphane Cottendin, accuses the Canadian landlord Brookfield of failing to pay contractual compensation. This compensation, worth tens of millions of euros, had been agreed upon in exchange for the return of half of the retail space earlier this year.

Canadian pension giant acquires minority stake in non-bank. One of Canada's largest public pension funds has agreed to buy an indirect minority interest in a major Australian non-bank lender. Canadian pension plan OMERS has agreed to buy an indirect minority interest in Australian non-bank lender La Trobe Financial from majority owner Brookfield, adding another institutional investor to its shareholder base. The agreement, subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to complete by January 2027. Brookfield will retain its majority holding, with OMERS joining it and Axight as institutional shareholders. OMERS, one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans, has C$151.5 billion in net assets. Neither the stake's size nor its purchase price was disclosed. La Trobe said that its management, strategy, investment philosophy and arrangements for managing investor funds would remain unchanged. La Trobe Financial chief executive Chris Andrews described the incoming shareholder's investment as an endorsement of the business and the people who had developed it. "OMERS' investment is a strong vote of confidence in La Trobe Financial, our people and the platform we have built over more than seven decades," Andrews said. Andrews added that the pension plan's long-term approach aligned with La Trobe's ambitions to expand its investment offerings in Australia. "We are pleased to welcome another highly regarded, long-term institutional investor to our shareholder base," he said "OMERS shares our conviction in the growing opportunity to provide high-quality investment offerings to Australian investors, and its investment provides further support for the continued execution of our strategy." Brookfield retains control as ownership broadens The agreement follows a minority investment announced in April by Axight, an Abu Dhabi-based private equity manager focused on Asia. Brookfield acquired La Trobe in 2022 from US asset manager Blackstone and then-chief executive Greg O'Neill. Andrews emphasised Brookfield's continuing role in the business, crediting its operational support with helping La Trobe develop since that acquisition. "Brookfield remains our majority shareholder and an important strategic partner. Its support, operating expertise and global perspective have contributed to the continued development of our business since its investment in 2022," he said. Growth spans lending and investment products Assets under management have reached $27 billion, up from $22 billion at the end of 2025, with La Trobe now managing capital for more than 130,000 individual and institutional investors. The company also reported average monthly net asset growth exceeding $500 million over the past six months and record monthly loan deployment of $1.5 billion. With Brookfield's operating support, La Trobe has also broadened its offering through a US private credit product and an Australian Securities Exchange-listed investment trust. The lender further noted that it had upgraded systems to strengthen investor engagement, improve client service and increase operating efficiency. "Together with Brookfield, Axight and now OMERS, we have an exceptional group of institutional shareholders aligned behind La Trobe Financial's next phase of growth," Andrews said. "Our focus remains unchanged: delivering strong outcomes for our investors and borrowers, maintaining disciplined capital management and continuing to invest in our people, products and capabilities." The update comes amid a significant expansion in institutional funding for non-bank lenders. Earlier this month, bridging lender Bridgit announced that Macquarie Bank's Commodities and Global Markets Group had increased its existing facility. Bridgit said facilities from lenders, including Citi and Macquarie, now totalled more than $1.7 billion, which it said was supported by sustained demand for its lending products. Want to see more stories from trusted news sources? Make The Adviser a preferred news source on Google. Click here to add The Adviser as a preferred news source. Charlie Tchetchenian Charlie Tchetchenian is a senior journalist at Momentum's mortgage broking title, The Adviser. Charlie writes news, features and original articles about the Australian broking industry, the mortgage market, financial regulation and the wider lending landscape. Prior to joining The Adviser in early 2026, Charlie worked as a digital reporter for News24.com.au (formerly Sky News Australia) and has been a journalist writing for numerous independent community publications in Sydney's north-west. Charlie has also worked as a political adviser for ex-New South Wales treasurer Matthew Kean. When Charlie is not writing news, he is performing as a jazz singer, holding regular headline shows around Sydney.

Changing investment landscape opens doors in medical office real estate. Healthcare real estate investment trusts, including Welltower, Ventas, Healthpeak and American Healthcare REIT, are increasingly directing capital toward senior housing, creating opportunities for private equity firms and institutional investors to expand their medical office portfolios. The shift is reshaping investment activity across the U.S. healthcare real estate market, as major REITs adjust their holdings to capitalize on senior living demand while alternative capital sources pursue outpatient medical properties. Welltower illustrates the scale of the transition. In 2025, the company announced the sale of approximately 18 million square feet of medical office space in a $6 billion transaction as part of its broader strategy to increase senior housing exposure. Through August 2026, Welltower had closed or placed under contract approximately $15.5 billion in new senior housing investments, with another $6 billion in its pipeline. Ventas has also accelerated its senior living investments, increasing its planned spending to approximately $4.5 billion for 2026. The growing emphasis on senior housing reflects improving fundamentals in the sector. Nationwide senior housing occupancy reached approximately 90% in August, supported by demographic trends and limited new construction. Those conditions have attracted substantial institutional capital from investors seeking exposure to the aging U.S. population. Meanwhile, medical office properties continue to draw interest from a broader pool of buyers. Private equity firms, pension funds, insurance companies and other institutional investors are pursuing healthcare properties that offer established tenant relationships, long-term income potential and exposure to outpatient medical demand. Recent transactions demonstrate that appetite. During the summer, Brookfield Asset Management acquired a 49% interest in a medical office portfolio valued at approximately $2.1 billion. In April, Blue Owl Capital agreed to acquire a healthcare-focused net lease REIT in a transaction valued at approximately $2.4 billion. Rising construction and financing costs may also strengthen the appeal of existing medical office buildings. With new development becoming more expensive, investors purchasing established properties may benefit from acquisition costs below replacement values, particularly in markets where medical tenant demand remains healthy. For healthcare real estate owners and developers, the changing investor landscape could have important implications. As some publicly traded REITs reduce their medical office exposure, alternative investment groups may become increasingly competitive buyers for well-located properties near hospitals, outpatient centers and established healthcare corridors. The trend does not necessarily indicate weakening demand for medical office real estate. Instead, it reflects a redistribution of investment capital as different buyer groups pursue opportunities across the healthcare property sector. For markets such as Nashville, Dallas and Denver, where healthcare systems and outpatient providers continue to influence commercial real estate activity, the evolving ownership landscape could create additional opportunities for acquisitions, portfolio repositioning and investment partnerships.