A number of Danish pension funds have shared further details on their latest investments, revealing a particular focus on investments that are supportive of the government's plans to build up the country's defence.

AkademikerPension announced that it is looking to invest in AP Ejendomme's (AP Pension) project to build new barracks in Denmark, marking a continuation of the increased focus for the pension industry to contribute to defense investments.

AkademikerPension CEO, Jens Munch Holst, said that joining the project is a "no-brainer", emphasising that whilst the fund has been keen to help build up the Danish defense, it previously lacked concrete projects to invest in.

"AP Pension's project is a very solid framework, and we hope to have a constructive dialogue with the responsible politicians," he continued.

"As a pension fund, we have both a great social responsibility and an obligation to provide our members with a good, long-term return, and in this respect this project is a pure win-win.

"Here we can help society with an incredibly important urgent task, where we as experienced builders can create real value for everyone through an efficient construction process and operation."

Adding to this, AP Ejendomme CEO, Peter Olsson, said: "We have heard politicians say that we need to invest heavily in the defense industry.

"It is a major social responsibility that we would like to take on, and we are very pleased that AkademikerPension shares this vision and wants to contribute to the project."

The project will be implemented as a Public Private Partnership (PPP), with AP Pension and AkademikerPension as equal partners responsible for the construction, investment risk and subsequent operation.

Although AP Pension has now brought AkademikerPension on board, both pension funds confirmed that they are still open to more partners in the industry.

This is not the only deal involving AP Pension, as Denmark's Sampension and AKF announced plans to take over a popular hotel property in Nordhavn from from AP Ejendomme and Keva, highlighting the investment as one of the "largest and most significant transactions" in the Danish property market this year.

With a total investment of around DKK 1bn, the acquisition of the modern hotel property in the heart of Nordhavn, marks another step in the strategy to build a joint portfolio between Sampension and AKF, building on its existing portfolio of hotel properties with Comwell as long-term operator.

Broader defence investments have also been made, as P+ announced that it has invested a three-digit million amount in Omada, in collaboration with Danish private equity fund GRO Capital.

The cybersecurity firm, Omada, specialises in cloud-based software solutions within identity management, a sub-segment of the overall cybersecurity market.

Commenting on the investment P+ CEO, Kåre Hahn Michelsen, said: "As a Danish growth company that is among the leaders in its field globally, we see Omada as an obvious investment case in an industry with significant growth potential.

"We therefore also expect that the investment can contribute to providing a good return on our members' pension savings."

Michelsen suggested that strengthening the protection of IT infrastructure is also a natural extension of increased defense in general.

"Security policy and European defense capability are an increasingly topical theme, as is the question of defense capability in a broader sense," he added.

"Growth is largely driven by the escalated threat of cyberattacks and hybrid warfare as authorities and businesses must protect themselves against digital attacks."

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