Manulife turns its Philippine REIT fund into a global real-asset play
What's the deal? Manulife Investments PhilippinesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has launched the Manulife Global Diversified Real Asset Feeder Fund, an income-paying unit investment trust fund (UITF) that gives Filipino investors access to global real assets. The vehicle is a conversion of the firm's former Manulife Global REIT Feeder Fund, which has shifted from a real estate-only strategy to a multi-asset portfolio.
What's the endgame? The fund invests across four areas: global real estate investment trusts (REITs), listed infrastructure, natural resources equities, and US Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). The aim is to diversify income sources and deliver long-term, inflation-adjusted returns through a single professionally managed product.
Why now? Manulife frames the shift around structural demand for physical infrastructure. The rise of artificial intelligence and digital services requires data centres and reliable power, while supply-chain modernisation and new energy systems are reshaping demand for networks and resources.
Aira Gaspar, president and chief executive officer of Manulife Investments Philippines, said the fund brings together global real asset opportunities in "a single solution," giving investors access to asset classes that are otherwise harder to build and manage independently.
What could go wrong? Manulife is explicit that diversification does not eliminate risk, and the fund's value can fluctuate with market conditions. Returns depend on valuations, interest rates, regulation, and broader markets — and they are not guaranteed to keep pace with inflation.
The signal: By repackaging a REIT-only product into a broader real-asset vehicle, Manulife is betting that retail investors want inflation hedges and exposure to the infrastructure underpinning AI, energy, and commerce — bundled into one accessible UITF.
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