Back in the Game: As lenders return, CRE financing options expand

Under Armour’s Kathy Blessington shares the playbook for using real estate to support performance, culture and growth. From headquarters planning to retail and supply chain strategies to community engagement, Kathy explains how intentional, flexible spaces help global companies stay competitive and future-ready.Corporate real estate can be a powerful strategic asset, driving productivity, collaboration and business performance.Modern workplaces are shifting away from individual workstations to collaborative, brand-forward environments that better support how teams work today.A well-designed headquarters can support innovation, operations, sustainability and community engagement.Large, global portfolios require intentional design that balances brand consistency with flexibility across offices, retail and logistics space.Building flexibility into real estate portfolios allows companies to adapt more easily to hybrid work, new technologies and evolving business needs.

Retail’s recovery is real—and the best centers are winning through reinvention. Macerich CEO Jackson Hsieh and CBRE Retail Services Lead Todd Caruso discuss what it takes to create premier destinations today: complementary tenant mix, compelling anchors and using experience + technology to drive traffic and performance.· Retail underwriting now hinges on a small set of KPIs that illuminate performance.· Trade‑area analytics help focus capital on the right assets.· Anchor tenant strategies and discipline about occupier selection translate into pricing power.· Mobile data helps property owners maximize asset performance.· Leasing velocity drives NOI growth.

More debt capital is available for commercial real estate investment. CBRE Investment Management’s Ty Gerschick and CBRE’s Tom Burns break down what’s happening across today’s debt markets, how borrowers can navigate a more competitive lending landscape and what capital availability means for real estate investment across property types and investment strategies.·     The return of banks—particularly regional banks—has expanded financing options and increased competition across the financing landscape.·     Higher‑for‑longer interest rates are shifting investor focus toward operational performance and sustainable cash flow rather than exit‑driven returns.·     Lenders are underwriting selectively, with scrutiny of debt coverage, leverage, and asset fundamentals.·     Capital is flowing back into debt funds, CMBS and preferred equity, though competition remains intense.

Retail real estate has emerged as an increasingly attractive asset class. LBX Investment’s Phil Block and CBRE’s Chris DeCouflé discuss the strategies driving today's returns and where the smart money is headed.* Operational intensity is unlocking significant value.* Adding multifamily or event spaces to traditional retail can enhance investment returns.* Mispriced risk in retail presents opportunities for value-add and core strategies.* Incorporating grocers strategically can boost open-air center value.* Technology and data are crucial for underwriting retail real estate investments.

How did the largest office-to-residential conversion come about? Brian Steinwurtzel of GFP Real Estate offers an inside look at how lower Manhattan’s 25 Water Street, a struggling office tower that was transformed into more than 1,300 apartments. He discusses what this landmark project signals for urban resilience.· The right acquisition price and bold design and amenity choices can turn challenged office assets into world‑class residential properties.· Tax incentives can often be the deciding factor in whether a conversion is viable.· Fast execution is essential for controlling risks and costs in today’s market.· Office-to-residential conversions are highly bespoke, where building bones matter more than any rule-of-thumb formula.· Great residential conversions are redefining downtowns, but their future hinges on policy, pricing and how the next market cycle unfolds.

Two of the parking industry’s most influential leaders— LAZ Parking’s Alan Lazowski and Parkway Corporation’s Rob Zuritzky—explore parking’s role as critical infrastructure, a cash-flow-generating asset and a platform for EVs, autonomous vehicles and urban mobility innovation.* Parking is vital urban infrastructure, supporting economic growth.* Technology, like EV charging, revolutionizes parking operations.* Parking assets can deliver stable cash flow and attractive investment returns.* Parking structures of the future will become essential urban mobility hubs.

On this episode, we feature a wide-ranging discussion with Henry Chin, CBRE’s Global Head of Research—recorded at CBRE’s annual Capital Markets Symposium—where we explore global capital flows, the forces shaping investment strategies and why 2026 may be a compelling vintage for real estate investment.* 2026 offers prime investment opportunities in U.S. real estate.* Income growth, not cap rates, will drive future real estate returns.* Value-add industrial assets with access to power are positioned for strong returns.* Amenity-rich, well-located office space should continue to outperform.* Rekindled global capital inflows could boost U.S. real estate transaction volume.

Link Logistics’ Luke Petherbridge and CBRE’s John Morris dissect the powerful forces shaping industrial & logistics real estate. They explore continued e-commerce acceleration, the transformative impact of AI, driverless trucks, evolving supply chains, changing warehouse standards and much more.* Industrial real estate had its second-best leasing year ever in 2025.* New demand is being spurred by e-commerce and reindustrialization.* Prime industrial sites are being developed for data center use, contributing to a scarcity of modern warehouse facilities.* AI and automation transform operational efficiency and future warehouse design.* Driverless trucks will eventually alter supply chain networks and spatial economics.

Portugal has become an unexpected real estate powerhouse in Europe. Arrow Global’s John Calvao and CBRE's Francisco Horta e Costa discuss the revival of Portugal’s economy, surging investment in hospitality, logistics, data centers and student housing, the resilient Lisbon and Porto office markets and ways to address a chronic housing shortage.* Portugal's economic turnaround has fueled robust real estate opportunities.* Hospitality and logistics lead growth, attracting global capital.* Emerging sectors like data centers and student housing are seeing outsized growth.* Multifamily housing faces persistent supply challenges.* The Lisbon and Porto office markets are exhibiting strong performance.

AI’s massive investment surge is reshaping commercial real estate. Chemonics' Victoria Slivkoff and CBRE's Colin Yasukochi discuss AI's influence on tech talent and its role in revitalizing key office markets and driving physical infrastructure needs.* AI drives massive investment into data centers and physical infrastructure.* San Francisco's office market is experiencing an AI-driven turnaround.* The AI revolution is creating specialized talent hubs and increasing demand for sustainable energy.* AI will boost productivity and necessitate workforce adaptation.