Major Swiss bank UBS has opted for a long-term extension of its OpernTurm tenancy agreement. The UBS has been a core OpernTurm anchor tenant since 2010 and the head office of UBS Europe SE relocated to the 170-metre-high office tower back in 2016. Another renowned tenant from the finance and investment world has also been brought on board in the form of Ardian Germany GmbH.
At its Frankfurt office, UBS has brought together all its core sections, including Wealth Management, Investment Banking and Asset Management. The global banking institute employs some 850 staff members across the 10 floors or so that it exclusively occupies in OpernTurm. During the contractual negotiations, UBS was supported by Baker McKenzie, while the landlord relied on Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as its legal advisers. Colliers acted as tenant representative in a structured advisory process.
For Christl Novakovic, CEO of UBS Europe SE, the decision to extend the rental agreement first and foremost underscores the bank’s commitment to Frankfurt. “For UBS Europe SE, the extension of the rental contract signifies that we are able to go on offering our clients and staff an attractive setting in one of Europe’s leading financial hubs. We are greatly looking forward to the coming years in the heart of the city,” she explains.
Parallel to this development, Ardian Germany GmbH also signed a long-term rental agreement for approx. 4,000 m² of office space in OpernTurm. Ardian Germany is the German arm of Ardian, one of the world’s leading independent investment companies, with total assets under management of USD 140 billion. At present based in the “Welle” complex and founded 20 years ago, Ardian’s German office will move into three floors of OpernTurm in October 2023. CBRE acted as the real estate adviser supporting Ardian.
