Mexico followed America's lead by adopting a real estate investment trust structure that gives developers access to the public-equity market, enabling small investors to buy commercial property. While the country has cemented a decent foundation, there's still room for improvement. Per The Wall Street Journal:
Six Mexican REITs, called Fideicomisos de Infrastructura y Bienes Raices, or Fibras, have gone public since 2011, including three so far this year. In two years, those six have expanded to a collective market value of $8.3 billion owning an assortment of office buildings, hotels, stores and industrial property, according to Evercore Partners.
"The reality is you're still dealing with a situation where company disclosure is well below average by international standards, and corporate governance is well below average by U.S. standards," says Jason Yablon, a portfolio manager with Cohen & Steers, which has invested in two Fibras. "There is not as much transparency as we had hoped."
