Infrastructure underpins the world in which we all live, whether this comes in the form of transportation, utilities, TMT, renewables, the list goes on. The question is, where does this list stop?

There has always been a slightly blurred line between certain assets being considered as Infrastructure or as Real Estate, for example, Social Housing, and Shopping Centres. Both offer long-term investment opportunity and income from investments which fall under the real assets umbrella. There is no right and wrong in our definition of certain real assets, however, there are slightly clearer definitions for Real estate Investments than there are for the Infrastructure Sector.

We are seeing an increase in investor's appetite for more unusual, riskier investments throughout the infrastructure sector, such as Antin Infrastructure Partners 'acquisition of a majority stake in Sølvtrans, a Norwegian operator of boats used in the salmon farming industry, from alternative asset management firm Oaktree Capital Management' in 2018, and Brookfield and iCON investing into heating and air conditioning units in the same year.

The impact of high demand and a strong fundraising period, coupled with investors seeing further portfolio diversification has resulted in the sector pushing the boundaries of traditional Infrastructure investments.