27four on Mesh: A New Era for Private Equity and Real-World Assets

It has built its reputation on a simple but demanding premise: building resilient, outcome-driven portfolios for pension funds and large corporates. In this world, the “real economy”, private real estate, infrastructure, and unlisted credit, is the engine room of wealth.

But for the individual investor, this engine room has historically been locked. Accessing top-tier private equity property transactions usually required a multi-million rand cheque and the right “institutional” connections. Today, we are working to broaden access through regulated digital market infrastructure by partnering with Mesh, the market leading Digital Capital Markets platform, 27four is bringing two decades of institutional discipline to the digital age.

The Rise of Real-World Assets (RWA)

We are currently witnessing a global shift in finance: the “Tokenisation of Everything.” Institutional giants like BlackRock and Fidelity are increasingly exploring the blockchain not as a speculative tool, but as a superior way to record ownership of Real-World Assets (RWA). By moving property equity onto a digital ledger, we eliminate the administrative friction that has made private markets so “heavy” in the past.

So why not just buy a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) on the JSE? The answer lies in volatility and correlation. Publicly listed property stocks often move in lockstep with the broader market. If there is a global “risk-off” event, REITs fall, even if their buildings are full and their tenants are paying.
As Mornay Visser, from 27four Investment Managers, explains:
“Private markets bring the value of lower volatility and non-correlation… even if an external event happens, the investor isn’t losing money, because the fundamentals of the net operating income are stable. We want to bring that exposure to the same fundamentals of equity and capital growth.”

A Partnership Grounded in Trust

This isn’t just a technology collaboration; it’s a meeting of philosophies. Mesh’s ecosystem is built on being easy to access, simple to use, and transparent.
Connie Bloem of Mesh explains why the partnership with 27four was the right fit:
“We’re very, very picky at Mesh to actually call someone a partner… we’re looking for people that have a similar dream to ours. Mornay didn’t let us off the hook until we could talk about the market fundamentals… they truly take care across the full life-cycle of the asset.”

Mornay Visser explains, “we aren’t just the managers; we are co-investors. We win when you win. And by aligning our 20-year institutional heritage with Mesh’s simple to use digital rails, we are finally making the real economy accessible to all South Africans.”

This article is for information and education only and does not constitute (and should not be construed as) an offer, invitation, or solicitation to buy or subscribe for any securities or other financial products. Any opportunity referenced will only be made available (if at all) under the full investor documentation, and only to investors who meet eligibility requirements and are accepted in terms of those documents. Where a tokenised security is used, the investor holds a token that represents the underlying security, with rights as set out in the investor documentation.