Why university location and ranking matter more than ever
In Green Street News: Europe News, Sky Mapson, Senior Director of Origination at Arrow Global, shares his latest insights on the UK and European Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector. He highlights the emergence of a two-tier market, where location, university ranking, and operational quality are driving performance divergence.
With demand increasingly concentrated in London and Russell Group cities, and oversupply pressuring weaker markets, Sky outlines how disciplined, data-led investment strategies, focused on core locations and operational excellence, will define the next phase of institutional PBSA investment.
In 2025, Maslow Capital, part of Arrow Global Group, completed 16 PBSA lending transactions in the UK, financing approximately €1.4 billion, the majority allocated to London, reinforced by our confidence in its long-term resilience.
Read the full article here
Sky Mapson
Senior Director, Origination (UK)
After graduating from Royal Holloway University of London in 2009, Sky began his career at RBS Global Banking and Markets, where he worked as an analyst in fixed income sales. His role involved modelling and managing interest rate and inflation risk for UK public sector treasury bodies, as well as structuring asset and liability matching solutions for pension schemes. His experience at RBS, particularly in debt and derivative restructuring, sparked an interest in alternative funding, leading him to join Maslow Capital in June 2012.
With over 12 years at Maslow Capital, Sky brings a wealth of experience in development finance, specialising in PBSA and regional residential schemes. He is widely regarded as a leading specialist in PBSA, using his deep market knowledge to support clients in structuring and executing complex funding solutions. As a key member of the origination team, Sky is responsible for sourcing and structuring new lending transactions, ensuring that Maslow continues to provide market-leading financing solutions to developers.