Colliers has launched its Colliers Securities group in Canada, expanding its established Securities capability within its U.S. business.

Jeff Jacobson, CEO, Colliers Securities, provides insights into the group’s foray into the Canadian market – the needs the team serves, the factors that distinguish it in the market, the reasons clients should choose to partner with Colliers Securities versus traditional banks, and more.

Describe Colliers Securities’ expertise and offerings.

Our team functions as a specialized, full-service investment bank and registered securities dealer that focuses entirely on real estate. While traditional brokers help clients buy, sell or lease physical properties, Colliers Securities helps corporate and institutional clients navigate the financial side.

We structure complex capital, issue public or private equity, arrange debt and provide independent research (such as initiating coverage on the Top 20 Canadian REITs) – all specifically tailored to real estate assets.

What problems and client needs does Colliers Securities solve? And why launch the offering in Canada now?

Real estate corporate finance has grown highly sophisticated. Navigating market shifts, including changes in interest rate environments, demographics and the Canadian REIT landscape itself, requires deep specialization. For clients in this space to secure a buyer, they need, apart from brokerage services, a partner to structure complex equity, strategize corporate mergers and acquisitions, or advise on volatile public debt and equity markets.

Launching this dedicated securities offering fills the substantial gap in real estate-first financial advisory in Canada.

What are the group’s key differentiators? 

There are key factors that distinguish Colliers Securities in the real estate corporate finance space:

• Pure-play real estate focus – We have deep specialization across all asset classes – multifamily, industrial, retail, office and alternative assets like senior living and student housing.
• Global platform; local expertise and execution – We’re extending our proven, successful securities capability in the U.S. into the Canadian market, executed by a local, veteran team with in-depth real estate finance and market knowledge.
• Independent research – We deliver unbiased, proprietary market insights and initiate structured quarterly coverage of the Canadian REIT sector.
• Leveraging the Colliers platform – We have immediate access to local leasing, vacancy, and valuation data across the country to accurately price and structure financial offerings. We are able to tap into client relationships that Colliers’ brokerage and investment management teams have forged and fostered for decades.

Why choose Colliers Securities over traditional banks?

Traditional “big banks” are generalists, with real estate being just one of the dozens of sectors they cover. So a real estate transaction might compete for attention with other sectors such as health care, tech, energy, etc. Colliers Securities focuses exclusively on the real estate landscape. 

Clients choose us because our team lives and breathes real estate capital markets day in and day out, enabling deeper sector intelligence and unmatched commitment to the industry. 

Given Colliers’ suite of services, including brokerage and advisory, how does Colliers Securities prevent and address conflicts?

Maintaining strict separation between our advisory and brokerage functions and the regulated securities business is vital, both internally and externally. Therefore, we’ve established stringent, regulated information barriers to ensure that confidential, non-public information from the securities side never spills into the brokerage side, and vice versa. Our dedicated compliance teams oversee interactions. Any joint projects require explicit client consent, and data storage is siloed with rigid permission protocols. Lastly, we provide clients full disclosures of any potential conflicts upfront, reinforcing our commitment to transparency and regulatory compliance as a registered dealer.

Who primarily stands to benefit from the Colliers Securities offering in Canada?

Our main client base includes REITS, institutional pension funds, large private equity groups, and major real estate developers seeking sophisticated capital structures. 

Think of a large developer needing to raise public equity for a large mixed-use project. Instead of relying on a bank that doesn't necessarily understand construction timelines or local zoning risks, they partner with Colliers Securities. Our team pairs capital raising capabilities with grassroots commercial real estate data to structure an optimal, risk-mitigated capital stack.

What opportunities stemming from Colliers Securities’ launch in Canada excite you and the team?

What excites the team the most is the opportunity to disrupt the status quo in Canada. For years, Canadian real estate capital markets have been dominated by the same few institutional banks. Launching Colliers Securities in Canada introduces a fresh, innovative and deeply entrepreneurial alternative that challenges the market and directly accelerates clients’ success.

Our vision and goals drive and energize us. We strive to become the go-to advisory partner for the top Canadian REITs and institutional real estate investors; to consistently rank high on league tables for Canadian real estate capital markets transactions; and of course, to build and maintain long-term advisory partnerships as a result of providing exemplary service.