DWS Alternatives Global Limited (“DWS Global”) is a registered investment adviser with the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that provides discretionary and
non-discretionary investment advisory services to clients, offering products and services
across a range of asset classes and investing styles. DWS Global is part of the global
investment management business of DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA (“DWS Group“) a
publicly listed German partnership limited by shares, and an indirect majority-owned subsidiary
of Deutsche Bank AG (“DB AG”), a multi-national financial services company (together with its
affiliates, directors, officers, and employees). DWS Global is an indirect subsidiary of DWS
Group.
This Brochure, including any supplement(s), is intended for DWS Global’s direct advisory
clients. Investors in any DWS Global-advised pooled investment fund should rely on the fund’s
prospectus or offering materials and may also refer to this Brochure, and/or any Brochure
supplement(s), for informational purposes only.
Although DWS Global has U.S. and non-U.S. clients, DWS Global complies with the U.S.
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940
(the “Investment Company Act”) only with respect to its U.S. clients. Non-U.S. clients will not
be subject to the protection of the Advisers Act and the Investment Company Act.
Client-imposed investment restrictions
DWS Global manages portfolios on behalf of individually managed separate accounts in
relation to direct real estate, real estate securities, infrastructure securities, and other real
asset securities. DWS Global works closely with these separately managed account clients
to understand their individual investment goals and objectives and can recommend targeted
investment strategies or vehicles. Subject to DWS Global’s agreement, these clients may
impose investment restrictions on DWS Global’s investment strategies for their accounts.
DWS Global’s portfolio managers are responsible for following the investment guidelines for
each client as defined in its respective investment management agreement.
With respect to private commingled funds and registered investment companies managed by
DWS Global, individual investors generally do not have an ability to impose restrictions on the
management of such vehicles, and any such restrictions would need to be consistent with the
investment strategy of the fund as stated in the offering documents. Further, such fund
offerings are not tailored to address the specific investment objectives or circumstances of any
individual investor.
Assets under management
As of December 31, 2023, DWS Global had a total of $23,007,853,162 in assets under
management, $17,496,650,838 of which is managed on a discretionary basis, and
$5,511,202,324 of which is managed on a non-discretionary basis.
NOTE: DWS Global’s assets under management noted above differ from that reported in Item
5F of DWS Global’s ADV Part 1 given the inclusion of the value of direct real estate equity
investments, infrastructure equity and debt investments, and private equity investments within
the totals reported above. These investments are not considered securities as defined in the
instructions to ADV Part 1 such that Item 5F does not include them within the reportable
regulatory assets under management totals. Rather, these investments are considered to be
“assets” for which DWS Global provides investment advisory services, hence the inclusion of
their value within investment advisory fee calculations.
DWS Global’s advisory services vary by strategy and/or product type and geographic location.
Investment capabilities
Products listed below are managed by DWS Global directly or through sub-advisory
relationships with affiliated and non-affiliated entities. See Item 10 for information regarding
DWS Global arrangements related to its advisory business. DWS Global’s applicable policies
and practices can vary by strategy and/or product type.
Principal investment strategies and products currently offered by DWS Global include:
Liquid real assets – real estate
Equity investments in publicly and privately traded real estate securities, including Real Estate
Investment Trusts (“REITs”) and Real Estate Operating Companies (“REOCs”).
Direct real estate – core/core plus
Predominantly high-quality equity investments in stabilized, income-producing properties,
employing low to moderate leverage.
Direct real estate – value added
Equity investments in value-add properties requiring redevelopment, repositioning for
alternative use, or upgrade, employing moderate leverage.
Real estate – opportunistic
Investments in equity and equity-like investments in real estate and real estate-related assets,
including joint ventures, distressed properties, loans, mezzanine facilities, corporate and
government dispositions, and private growth companies. Seeks to capitalize on economic,
financial, and property market dislocation and may employ significant leverage.
Direct real estate – debt
Debt and hybrid investments in real estate assets, real estate companies, and commercial
mortgage-backed securities.
Mezzanine and structured real estate debt investment, transitional senior mortgages, B-notes,
mezzanine loans, preferred equity, and other real-estate backed structured investments.
Transitional finance for lease-up, redevelopment, or new construction.
Infrastructure debt and equity investments
Investments in private infrastructure debt and equity in the primary and secondary markets;
Focus on loans and bonds in both the sub-investment grade and investment grade markets,
subject to meeting required returns on a portfolio basis.
Private equity – secondary opportunities
Equity investments in closed-end private pooled investment vehicles holding equity positions in
third-party private equity funds and co-investment vehicles through a private equity funds of
funds structure.
Multi-asset fund selection service
Fund selection service whereby DWS Global provides recommendations to an advisory
affiliate in the form of various model portfolios consisting of DWS proprietary and non-
proprietary U.S. open-end registered investment companies (“Mutual Funds”) and U.S.
exchange traded funds (“ETFs”).
Products and services
DWS Global offers the following products and services:
Separately managed accounts
DWS Global manages investment advisory accounts on a discretionary and non-discretionary
basis and pursues strategies falling into one or more of the following general categories:
_ Liquid Real Assets – Real Estate
_ Direct Real Estate – Core/Core Plus
_ Direct Real Estate – Value-Added
_ Direct Real Estate – Debt
_ Direct Infrastructure – Debt
Sub-Advisory services
DWS Global serves as sub-adviser to certain registered investment advisers who act as the
primary investment manager to registered investment companies and to certain foreign fund
managers. Pursuant to written sub-advisory agreements, DWS Global has responsibility for
managing a portion of the fund’s portfolio. DWS Global’s sub-advisory services generally
involve strategies falling into one or more of the following categories:
_ Liquid Real Assets – Real Estate
_ Direct Real Estate – Debt
_ Infrastructure – Debt
_ Infrastructure – Equity
Pooled vehicles
Non-registered funds
DWS Global serves as investment manager or sub-adviser to certain privately offered private
investment funds not registered with the Investment Company Act and sold to only to certain
investors meeting specific eligibility requirements. These funds pursue strategies falling into
one or more of the following general categories:
_ Liquid Real Assets – Real Estate
_ Direct Real Estate – Core/Core Plus
_ Direct Real Estate – Value-Added
_ Direct Real Estate – Debt
_ Infrastructure – Debt and Equity
_ Private Equity – Secondary Opportunities
Registered funds
DWS Global serves as investment manager or sub-adviser to certain investment funds
registered with the Investment Company Act and sold to only to certain investors meeting
specific eligibility requirements. These funds pursue strategies falling into one or more of the
following general categories:
_ Liquid Real Assets – Real Estate
Other arrangements
DWS Global also provides various investment advisory, consulting, administrative, and
research support services to its affiliates, pursuant to intercompany agreements, including the
Multi-asset fund selection service.
DWS Global may offer, and may negotiate fees with respect to its advisory, consulting,
administrative, and research support services to certain third-party banks, trust companies,
insurance companies, and other fiduciaries, and may also render investment advice to specific
accounts of these banks, trust companies, and other fiduciaries that contract with DWS Global.
DWS Global may also provide certain other services such as investment company
administrative services and executing broker evaluations and selections.
Following a federal court order issued on June 17, 2020 and relating to certain regulatory
settlements entered into by an affiliate outside of the DWS Group, DWS Global relies on an
order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended on October 20, 2020, permitting it to continue to provide investment
advisory services to investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act.
Environmental, social and governance considerations
DWS Global seeks to incorporate in its investment process environmental, social and
governance (“ESG”) risks and opportunities that could have a material impact on the financial
performance of the issuer, in accordance with the goals of a particular
investment strategy and
client investment guidelines, and further subject to its fiduciary obligations and applicable law,
rule and regulation.
For most asset classes and market segments, DWS Global portfolio managers have access to
ESG research and grades, including research provided by internal DWS analysts which
consider ESG risks and opportunities, as well as access to ESG quality assessment scores
and additional information from DWS’s proprietary ESG tool (also referred to as the “ESG
Engine”).
For those strategies that do not seek to implement a specific ESG strategy, the level of
consideration of ESG factors in a strategy’s process will differ from strategy to strategy, from
sector to sector, and from portfolio manager to portfolio manager.
Because investors can differ in their views of what constitutes positive or negative ESG
characteristics, DWS Global may invest in issuers that do not reflect the ESG beliefs and
values of other investors. DWS Global’s considerations of ESG risks and opportunities may
affect a fund’s exposure to certain companies or industries, and an ESG-dedicated strategy
may forego certain investment opportunities. While DWS Global views considerations of ESG
risks and considerations as having the potential to contribute to a client’s account long-term
performance, there is no guarantee that such results will be achieved.
Because of the inherent differences between Liquid Real Assets and DWS Global illiquid
strategies encompassing Infrastructure and Equity Debt, and Direct Real Estate (the “Illiquid
Strategies”), the approach to incorporating ESG is tailored specifically to the strategy and in
accordance with a client’s investment objectives and requires different tools to be utilized to
consider ESG in the investment process.
1. Liquid Real Assets - Available ESG Tools
DWS Global portfolio managers in the U.S. Liquid Real Assets (“LRA”) business may use the
DWS proprietary ESG tool and/or the LRA proprietary ESG models, each as outlined below, to
analyze the ESG attributes of a potential investment.
DWS Proprietary ESG Tool
DWS Global’s portfolio managers may use output from a proprietary DWS ESG tool that
evaluates an issuer’s performance across a variety of ESG indicators, primarily on the basis of
data obtained from multiple third-party ESG data vendors and public sources and assigns a
DWS ESG Quality Grade to each issuer covered by the ESG tool. An additional DWS internal
review process allows for changes to the DWS ESG Quality Grade. An internal review may
occur, for example, if it is deemed that information is not reflected in the existing ESG grade
because new information or insights have emerged that the ESG data vendors have not yet
processed. Examples of information that may be considered in this review process include, but
are not limited to, the announcement of new (or withdrawal from previously announced)
climate-related commitments, or the resolution of legacy (or involvement in new) controversies.
DWS Global’s portfolio management may consider application of internal reviews on a given
DWS ESG Quality Grade and use their discretion whether and how to apply.
The DWS ESG Quality Grade seeks to identify ESG leaders and laggards within an industry-
and region-specific peer groups in terms of overall ESG performance (best-in-class approach).
Issuers within the same industry and region-specific peer group are graded on a scale of A
(true leader) to F (true laggard). Issuers with a grade of C or above are deemed to meet DWS
Global’s sustainability criteria. In calculating the DWS ESG Quality Grade, the DWS
proprietary ESG tool utilizes a proprietary methodology to evaluate ESG scores from multiple
third-party data vendors across a broad range of ESG indicators to arrive at a consensus
overall quality grade intended to reflect which companies may be positioned better to address,
and which companies may be more exposed to future ESG risks, relative to their peers. The
broad range of ESG indicators measured include, among others, assessments of an issuer’s
carbon emissions including its own emissions and those of its products and services, land use
and biodiversity, climate change strategy and vulnerability, product safety and quality,
employee management issues including equal opportunities and non-discrimination, freedom
of association and right to collective bargaining and occupational health and safety, community
relations, human rights issues related to supply chain, business ethics and anti-corruption, and
corporate governance matters including executive pay, board diversity and board
independence.
The proprietary DWS ESG tool covers most listed asset classes but there is limited information
on high yield, municipal bonds, emerging markets, IPOs and certain other types of securities
due to incomplete vendor coverage. Through the DWS ESG tool, DWS Global’s portfolio
management may also access issuer-specific contextual analysis that provides additional
information about an issuer’s ESG risks and opportunities, risk mitigation actions or plans and
other characteristics.
LRA Proprietary ESG Models
The LRA team has a separate and proprietary process (the “LRA ESG Models”) for using
selected ESG data sources relevant to their strategies. Currently, LRA has two dedicated
ESG strategies, which utilize the ratings and screens of the LRA ESG Models, as documented
in the investment guidelines for those strategies.
2. DWS Global Illiquid Strategies - Strategy-Specific ESG Considerations
For Illiquid Strategies, the incorporation of ESG into the investment process takes place during
investment due diligence and portfolio management.
Infrastructure Equity
DWS Global seeks to incorporate ESG considerations into the Infrastructure Equity investment
framework at all stages of the investment lifecycle, from initial screening and due diligence to
asset management to exit. DWS Global monitors the ESG attributes of portfolio companies by
regular reporting of key performance indicators (“KPIs”) through Global Real Estate
Sustainability Benchmark (“GRESB”) at least annually, and more frequently where necessary.
The KPIs cover ESG issues such as carbon footprint, water usage, health and safety
indicators and diversity and inclusion metrics at both employee and board levels. The due
diligence process also considers governance topics such as fraud, bribery, sanctions,
compliance, and findings are presented to the investment committee for consideration.
The Infrastructure Equity business operates in line with their environmental and social
management system (“ESMS”), which is an ESG framework outlining how to address and
manage ESG considerations in the investment cycle for the underlying portfolio. The ESMS
applies to all potential and existing portfolio investments and the framework seeks to ensure
regular reporting and compliance with applicable ESG regulations, while driving improvements
in ESG metrics, performance and sustainability of the portfolio companies.
The Infrastructure Equity business also produces an annual Sustainable and Responsible
Investment (SRI) report for investors, addressing issues such as health, safety and security;
community service; labour and diversity issues; transparency, communication and governance;
and environmental issues relating to portfolio companies.
Infrastructure Debt
The Infrastructure Debt business developed an ESG scoring methodology applicable to private
infrastructure debt investments, which the business began to utilize in 2021 to support the
overall investment process and ongoing monitoring of the ESG attributes of such investments.
These ESG scores are reviewed quarterly.
Direct Real Estate
Integration of ESG factors into investment management decision-making is delivered through
each stage of the asset life-cycle – sustainable due diligence (SDD), asset management and
disposal, as appropriate for the investment and ESG strategy of the portfolio. The findings are
included in presentation to the investment committee for disposition consideration, reviewed
DWS Real Estate takes a fiduciary-first approach to ESG Factors and sustainability
performance in private real estate investment management, defining a range of operation
between ESG and financial risk boundaries. DWS Real Estate focuses on ESG Factors which
are material for real estate: transitional, physical, social norms, and governance.
The ESG risk boundary relates to risks where appropriate actions to assess and manage ESG
Factors, if not undertaken in good time, could result in negative impacts on sustainability and,
often, financial performance of the asset or portfolio. Vice versa, the financial risk boundary
relates to negative effects of inappropriate actions (e.g., ill-timed, or too extensive) on
compliance with the investment objectives.
and discussed as appropriate. The SDD process is completed prior to acquisition for all new
assets and delivered through two screening phases: initial and advanced screening, and
addressing three types of ESG factors (transitional, physical, and social norms) for equity and
in addition governance for debt investments. For equity investments, following acquisition,
asset and portfolio managers monitor ESG factors not only to ensure proper risk mitigation but
also to actively seek opportunities to add value as part of ongoing business planning. For loan
investments, following acquisition, the debt team continues to collect data, monitor and
evaluate performance of assets focusing on relevant ESG factors and as required by the
portfolio’s ESG strategy. An asset’s ESG performance, certification status and risk status are
all also considered during disposition process.