Prologis and Union Pacific power the arteries of commerce. Prologis (NYSE: PLD) owns and leases the warehouses and distribution centers that keep e-commerce humming, while Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) operates the rails that haul those goods across the U.S. heartland. Both benefit from long-term shifts like e-commerce growth, manufacturing revival, and infrastructure reinvestment. But for investors looking for a blend of income and long-term tailwinds, Prologis may offer the stronger case. Here’s why.

Image source: Getty Images.

Prologis: real estate on a roll

Prologis is a behemoth of a real estate investment trust (REIT). To give you an idea of its scale: The $2.7 trillion in goods that flow through its properties each year would make Prologis the eighth-largest economy in the world, and its warehouse footprint (1.3 billion square feet ) is enough to cover the equivalent of two Manhattans. By contrast, STAG Industrial – a notable peer – owns just 117.6 million square feet.

Many of Prologis’ warehouses sit in the right places: near major metro areas, close to highways, ports, dense population centers. These locations are ideal for same- and next-day delivery, which is why many blue-chip giants — like Amazon, Home Depot, and FedEx — have lease agreements with it.

A look at Prologis’ most recent earnings underscores the powerful moat the company is digging. In Q1 2025, it signed 58 million square feet of new leases (up from 48 million in Q1 2024) and broke ground on $650 million in new developments (up from $273 million last year). About 78% of these were build-to-suits, meaning the leases were pre-signed before construction even began. That’s well above the industry’s 25% build-to-suit average, according to JLL . This sharply lowers the risk of vacancy, which matters when a single large 500,000-square-foot warehouse can cost about $40 million to build.

New lease expansion is matched by growth in the actual cash generated from its core operations as measured through funds from operations (FFO), which rose 10.9% in Q1 . That bump came from strong tenant retention and rising rents. Those same dynamics pushed net operating income up 6.2 %, which shows that Prologis is extracting more value from every square foot it owns. These are strong results for any REIT — and even more impressive at this scale. As the chart below shows, Prologis’ operating revenue is several times higher than even its closest peers.

To underscore the opportunity, just follow the numbers. E-commerce currently makes up about 24% of U.S. retail sales (excluding autos and gas) and is set to climb past 30% by 2030 . Each percentage point increase will demand roughly 60 to 70 million square feet of new warehouse space — more than 18% of Prologis’ existing U.S. footprint.

That’s a lot of new space, but here’s where it gets interesting: Prologis already owns enough undeveloped land to underwrite $41.2 billion of future warehouse builds. When demand justifies new ground-up constructions, then, management can tap into this immense war chest. With that, Prologis has everything in place — the land, the leases, the balance sheet — to be the infrastructure backbone of online retail.

Union Pacific: the steady iron horse

Like Prologis, Union Pacific is a logistics giant. Instead of warehouses, however, its real estate is 32,693 miles of track, and instead of rent checks, it makes money hauling freight, like coal, grain, and cars. Both companies would profit from an e-commerce boom, yet when it comes to growth, Union Pacific doesn’t have nearly as much upside.

Part of the reason is the inherent constraints of Union Pacific’s railroad business. Unlike Prologis, which can buy land in untapped markets, Union Pacific spends most of its capital keeping existing tracks in shape instead of the costly slog of laying new rails. Rather than expanding its footprint, Union Pacific must drive growth through efficiency, like sharper pricing power and squeezing additional volume from its existing network.

Which, to be sure, is what Union Pacific is doing. Under CEO Jim Vena, who took the reins in August 2023, Union Pacific has tightened operations, broadened margins, and delivered goods with precision. In its latest quarter, a rebound in intermodal and bulk cargo — paired with solid pricing discipline and tight cost controls — helped Union Pacific keep its efficiency steady, boost carload revenue by 7%, and crank out $2.2 billion in cash.

Unlike Prologis, however, Union Pacific’s growth is tied to broad freight cycles and a network nearing capacity. This leaves it with fewer levers for major long-term upside despite operational excellence.

That said, Union Pacific does have an attractive price right now. Tariff news has mostly spooked investors, even as the company’s fundamentals remains solid. Granted, tariffs could dent Union Pacific’s revenue, yet the company’s no spring chicken. In its 163-year history, it has weathered two World Wars, a Great Depression, and every market storm in between. For value seekers, then, this sell-off could present a rare chance to grab a proven workhorse at a discount before the market realizes the engine is still humming strong.

So, which is the better buy?

Both companies sit at the heart of American’s logistics grid, yet Prologis holds the edge. Not only is it adding warehouse space today, but it owns the land to fuel e-commerce’s next big boom. It also throws off an attractive 3.8% dividend – eclipsing Union Pacific’s 2.4% — so you’re getting yield and upside in one package. For investors hunting both dividend and growth, then, Prologis fits the bill.

Author

Tim Alper

Author

Tim Alper

About Author

Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked…

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July 2, 2025

The South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb is set to launch a spinoff company as it pushes ahead with an initial public offering (IPO) bid.

The trading platform has indicated that it is still on track to debut on the KOSDAQ exchange in the first half of 2026.

However, South Korean market insiders are reportedly wary about lingering ownership questions ahead of the potential launch.

Meanwhile, more domestic banks are joining a stablecoin alliance with a view to co-launching KRW-pegged tokens.

Bithumb Spinoff Gets Green Light

The South Korean media outlet News Tomato reported that Bithumb’s IPO process has now begun in earnest following a Supreme Court ruling that absolved the former Bithumb Holdings Chairman Lee Jung-hoon of fraud charges in March this year.

After the ruling, Bithumb asked the regulatory Financial Services Commission (FSC) to approve its spinoff plans in April.

The FSC was not fully satisfied with the initial application, but Bithumb has since amended its application twice.

At the end of June, the FSC finally gave its approval for a plan that will see Bithumb continue operating its existing exchange platform under its current name.

New Firm Will Act as Holding Company

The newly established corporation, tentatively named Bithumb A, will act as a holding company. It will also spearhead new Bithumb-related business investments.

Bithumb has chosen Samsung Securities as its lead manager for the KOSDAQ listing. The company is currently completing due diligence protocols.

Bithumb explained that its “restructuring” would help optimize growth strategies for each of its business arms “by separating their functions.”

The move will help Bithumb “secure agility in new business avenues,” the exchange claimed.

However, the media outlet said that the market is “still cautious” about an “opaque governance structure” that “could undermine investor confidence.”

Currently, Bithumb is owned by Bithumb Holdings, with the firms DAA, Vidente, and BTHMB all owning sizeable stakes. Other shareholders hold a 25.1% stake in the firm.

However, the media outlet wrote that the “actual control structure” between these parties “has not been clearly revealed.”

An unnamed domestic securities industry insider said that a “complex and opaque governance structure cannot help but promote anxiety among investors.”

The insider said that if it wants to attract capital from external investors, Bithumb will need to demonstrate a “high level of transparency and social responsibility.”

Busan Bank Joins Stablecoin Union

Meanwhile, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that BNK Busan Bank announced on June 2 that it has officially joined the Stablecoin Division at the Open Blockchain/DID Association (OBDIA).

The bank added that it has also begun conducting broad joint research projects focusing on stablecoins.

OBDIA launched as a blockchain-focused non-profit organization in 2018. However, in April this year, the group experienced a new lease of life when it added a stablecoin subgroup.

A slew of major banks have joined the division, including the high street heavyweights Kookmin, Shinhan, Woori, Nonghyup, and IBK Industrial Bank.

The neobank K Bank has also joined OBDIA, with its online rival Toss Bank also reportedly keen on becoming a member.

Yonhap reported that Busan Bank plans to build a “digital currency model” that can be used on the South Korean market.

The bank says that its experience of operating the blockchain-powered local stablecoin Dongbaekjeon will prove of great importance. A Busan Bank spokesperson explained:

“Since stablecoin-related regulations are still in progress, we need to develop capabilities that let us respond to various scenarios with flexibility. We want to play a meaningful role [once the government] institutionalizes [stablecoins].”

Lawmakers are pressing ahead with work on a bill that seeks to lay the groundwork for the issuance of private-sector stablecoins.

The move will partially reverse a ban on all forms of token issuance that has been in place since 2019.

Forward-looking: In today’s world and age, having a centralized resource for collecting and sharing information about security vulnerabilities is essential. The US administration recently signaled it doesn’t have this kind of priorities anymore, so the European Union is preparing a potential alternative for keeping the technology world safe and informed.

The European Commission has launched a new vulnerability database managed by the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). The beta version of the European Vulnerability Database (EUVD) is already live, promising a more effective approach to cybersecurity and critical information sharing for professionals and organizations across the continent.

The EUVD meets the vulnerability management requirements of the NIS2 Directive, a 2023 framework adopted by the European Parliament to improve cybersecurity in critical sectors like energy, transport, and healthcare. It also helps implement the Cyber Resilience Act, which requires stronger protections for products with digital components.

European officials have described the initiative as a move to strengthen the EU’s technological sovereignty. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, welcomed the EUVD as a key step toward Europe’s digital security and resiliency.

“By bringing together vulnerability information relevant to the EU market, we are raising cybersecurity standards, enabling public and private stakeholders to better protect our shared digital spaces with greater efficiency and autonomy,” Virkkunen said.

The ENISA says this data consolidation will make it easier for organizations to identify and respond to vulnerabilities, fostering a more proactive cybersecurity environment across the continent. By centralizing and streamlining the information, the EUVD aims to reduce the time it takes to address critical security issues, ultimately enhancing the region’s digital resilience.

The EUVD features three dashboards highlighting critical vulnerabilities, exploited bugs, and “EU-coordinated” flaws. The latter includes issues managed by European CSIRTs. Most data comes from open-source databases, while national CSIRTs provide additional details through advisories and alerts.

Starting September 2026, the EU will require hardware and software manufacturers to report actively exploited vulnerabilities. While Brussels authorities mention the CVE database only tangentially, the EUVD is a practical response to the Trump administration’s attempts to defund critical bug tracking. Should future efforts to slash funding for cyber initiatives succeed, data from the CVE system could seamlessly migrate to the EUVD.