A good way to earn more with less risk? In life insurance, your capital can be divided between the Euro fund, which is guaranteed in capital, and the units of account (UC), which allow you to take more risks, by investing in shares, bonds, companies not listed on the stock exchange, etc. In this range, real estate funds can also be an option for prudent savers, but who nevertheless aim for a higher return than that of the euro fund, estimated at 2.65% in 2025 (net of fees, but before possible taxes).
In fact, we find in the catalog of insurers real estate funds such as real estate investment companies (SCPI). Their principle is to collect money from individuals, then invest it in professional real estate: historically, more offices, but it can be businesses, logistics platforms, hotels, etc. The SCPI management company then rents these spaces to companies, and pays the rent collected to investors every month, quarter or half-year.
A relatively low-risk investment since SCPIs are generally rated between 3 and 4 out of 7 on the risk scale. But provided you choose them carefully, the yield can be significant. This is what emerges from the data compiled and established by the firm Facts & Figures, and published Friday October 17. To maximize your chances of investing in a successful SCPI via your life insurance, here are three avenues to look closely at.
1- Focus on SCPIs invested in Europe
First of all, focus on SCPIs invested in Europe. By putting the 2023 and 2024 performances of 100% French and European SCPIs side by side, the observation is obvious: “Each time, SCPIs positioned in Europe bring in more than French ones. They indeed offer better risk diversification, and they can be more opportunistic by buying on the most attractive markets”explains Cyrille Chartier-Kastler, founder of Facts & Figures. Example in 2024 with SCPIs specializing in offices: the French ones show a negative yield of -2.97%, compared to +1.27% for their European counterparts.
2-Choose a logistics or diversified SCPI
However, the office theme is not the most profitable currently. Even if it meant choosing a so-called mono-thematic SCPI – which invests in a single category of real estate – it was necessary in 2024 to focus on logistics specialists (warehouses, logistics platforms, etc.), who posted a return of 6.30%, for those invested in Europe (5.56%). Note that the performance measurement here takes into account the payment of regular dividends (called distribution rate) and the increase in the value of the subscribed shares.
Better yet, today it is the so-called “diversified” SCPIs – invested in all asset categories – which are the most successful in life insurance: +8.27% in 2024 for European diversified SCPIs, compared to 5.94% for French ones only. “According to the same logic as European SCPIs, diversified SCPIs can be more opportunistic, and invest in the most favorable categories of property from a yield point of view”explains Cyrille Chartier-Kastler.
3- Take a close look at young SCPIs
Finally, to guide you, know that the age of the SCPI can also be a criterion. The new SCPIs that have arrived on the market in recent years have in common that they are mostly European and diversified. Among the new SCPIs listed in 2024 by insurers, we note the performance of Epsicap Nano (formerly Epsilon 360) with an overall return of +8.17%from Remake Live (+7.50%), or even Transition Europe (+8.25%).
For this year, the same dynamic seems to be at work, since we should find these young European and diversified SCPIs at the top of the ranking of the best investments of the 2025 vintage.
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