In 2006 Tej Kohli sold the online payments company that he had founded in Costa Rica in 1999, which had become known worldwide for its market-leading fraud protection software, and the Kohli family moved to a new family home in the United Kingdom. Tej had already built a substantial real estate portfolio in India and South East Asia, and following the sale of the company, Tej began investing in premium real estate in the UAE and Europe through the ‘Zibel’ investment vehicle.

Today the Zibel real estate portfolio represents a substantial international asset base to support broader investment and philanthropic activities. The portfolio focuses on investments in areas where emerging innovation, growth and commercial trends intersect with cultural factors to indicate long-term and sustainable investment growth opportunities.

The Zibel real estate portfolio is privately held and Tej Kohli does not publish its schedule of assets. However current areas of focus for further real estate investment by Zibel include:

Berlin: A booming cluster of innovation and growth

The Kohli real estate portfolio focuses on investments in areas with emerging innovation, growth and commercial trends.

The best performing real estate market in the world

Property prices in Berlin jumped by 20.5% in 2017

The average price has increased by more than 120% since 2004

The bohemian artists of Berlin have been joined by an influx of international start-ups and tech entrepreneurs to create a booming hub of innovation. In 2017 more money was invested into start-ups in Berlin than anywhere else in Europe, with Google and Deutsche Bank opening substantial operations too. Click here to read about Berlin Property in Citywire

Abu Dhabi: A high-growth commercial hub with strong prospects

Abu Dhabi is a high-growth commercial hub with strong prospects.

Annual growth rate expected to register at 4.2% in 2019

A booming residential sector is creating brand new communities.

Average yields in Abu Dhabi remain relatively high at 5.5%

A high-growth commercial hub at the centre of the global oil industry, the positive macroeconomic environment includes strong GDP growth and employment growth forecasts. Abu Dhabi also has a resilient and flourishing non-oil sector that is driving fresh expansion of the demand pool from increasingly diversified commercial occupiers demanding larger floor areas.

Gurgaon: A city renowned as a hub for finance and tech innovation

Guragon is a city renowned as a hub for finance and tech innovation.

Growth of 21% in the property sector in 2018.

New Dwarka Expressway boosting real estate markets.

Secondary market prices have moved upwards by an average of 5-7%

Gurgaon has risen from former agricultural land to become a city of skyscrapers just 32km outside the Indian capital New Delhi. It is home to multinational firms including Google, HSBC, Nokia and Intel, as well as a booming ecosystem of start-ups that want to be close to this huge network of corporates. The population doubled in just 10 years to 1.5 million.

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