UBS flagged on Thursday the downturn in commercial real estate markets as one of the "top and emerging risks" facing the Swiss bank, as higher borrowing costs and a post-pandemic slump in demand for office space hit the sector. Commercial property markets in the United States and Europe are in the grip of the biggest slowdown since the 2008-9 crash. "Adverse effects on valuations from higher interest rates and structural decline in demand for office and retail space may trigger broader impacts given bank and non-bank lenders' material balance sheet exposure to the sector," the bank said in its 2023 annual report published on Thursday.