The Indian real estate sector attracted $5.1 billion in capital during January-March, logging an annual growth of 72 per cent, as developers and REITs look to expand business despite global uncertainties, according to CBRE.

Capital inflows in the real estate sector stood at $2.9 billion in the year-ago period.

The increase in capital inflows was 53 per cent from $3.3 billion in the October-December quarter of 2025.

Real estate consultant CBRE on Wednesday released a report, India Market Monitor Q1 2026 - Investments, which highlighted that the inflows in January-March were the highest in any quarter ever.

The capital inflows were primarily led by developers, closely followed by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), which put money into building and acquiring rent-yielding offices and retail spaces.

"This underscores the high confidence of domestic investors and institutional players in the Indian real estate growth story," said Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE.

"Despite global macroeconomic headwinds, our resilient economic framework continues to attract deep capital. The multi-fold increase in REIT activity is particularly encouraging, signalling a maturing market that is increasingly shifting towards institutionalised, yield-generating assets," he said.

Going forward, Magazine expects foreign capital to re-engage strongly, driven by clearer deployment strategies.

Of the total capital inflows during January-March, real estate developers constituted around 42 per cent, closely followed by REITs at about 40 per cent. Investments by REITs surpassed $2 billion.

"Domestic investors, led primarily by developers, dominated the investment landscape with a 96 per cent share of the overall inflows," the consultant said.

Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR cumulatively accounted for around 65 per cent of the total investment.

Published on April 22, 2026