OREANDA-NEWS. Singapore Exchange (SGX) and REIT Association of Singapore (REITAS) will be jointly organising the first ever REITs Race in Singapore on 7 May 2016 (Saturday), as part of efforts to raise awareness on REITs among investors. The race will be held in conjunction with SGX’s flagship retail investor education event – the SGX My First Stock Carnival – from 7-8 May 2016 at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.

The REITs Race is meant to be an experiential learning journey for participating teams, who will be flagged off at Ngee Ann City and making pit stops at five Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) properties located in Singapore’s Central Business District. Competing teams will complete tasks and quizzes that will test their understanding of the REIT business model and key financial ratios, while learning what to look out for when investing in a SGX-listed REIT.

The REITs Race is now open for registration to all individuals aged 18 to 60 years forming teams of three to six participants each. The top ten winning teams stand to win over $6,000 worth of prizes sponsored by SGX and various listed REITs.

Sonny Tan, Chief Executive Officer, REITAS, said, “REITs can be an effective investment alternative for Singaporeans to participate in the investment property market, given its regular and attractive dividend payout, low investment threshold, and flexibility of entry and exit as a listed share. We hope to create better and more widespread awareness among the public about REITs through a fun and exciting way like this REITs Race.”

Lynn Gaspar, Head of Retail Investors and Intermediaries, SGX, said, “We’ve designed this inaugural REITs Race so that participants visit iconic REIT properties that they can invest in and earn income from. We want retail investors to learn more about investing in REITs in a fun and hands-on way.”

Since embarking on a joint education effort in January 2015, REITAS and SGX Academy have jointly organised five REIT education seminars, attended by close to 700 investors.    

There are currently 35 REITs and four Property Trusts listed on SGX, comprising assets across geographical markets and property segments.