India’s real estate sector is expected to witness renewed foreign direct investment (FDI) as the government advances its mission to fully digitise land records by December 2025. With global investors increasingly seeking stable and transparent markets amidst economic uncertainty and trade tensions, experts believe that India’s push for digitised land ownership will offer a major competitive advantage.

As per Colliers data, India attracted Rs 483 billion (US$5.8 billion) in FDI into real estate during FY24. However, the first half of 2025 saw a 39 per cent year-on-year drop, with inflows falling to Rs 133 billion (US$1.6 billion), driven by global inflation and tight credit conditions. This decline also contributed to a 15 per cent fall in overall institutional investments.

Nevertheless, analysts remain optimistic. They say the government’s digitisation reform will restore investor confidence and trigger sustained capital inflows into key segments, including office spaces, logistics parks, data centres, and residential developments.

Why Digitisation Matters

Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO, India, Middle East & Africa, CBRE, highlighted that digitised records would greatly simplify land acquisition—an ongoing bottleneck for foreign investors. He pointed to Bengaluru’s tech corridors and the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor as examples where clear land titles could accelerate Grade-A office projects.

The impact is expected across both commercial and residential real estate, particularly in luxury and mid-income housing, where title clarity enhances buyer trust and project execution timelines.

The Centre has set an ambitious target to digitise all land records nationwide—excluding Ladakh and the Northeast—by December 2025. So far, 99.8 per cent of over 372 million land records and 97.3 per cent of cadastral maps have been digitised. Nearly 90 per cent of revenue courts and all sub-registrar offices now operate digitally.

This transformation is expected to reduce transaction times, enhance transparency, and significantly mitigate risks related to fraud and title disputes.

Investor Benefits: Transparency and Efficiency

Magazine added that digitisation aligns India’s land governance with international benchmarks such as Singapore’s e-services and Estonia’s e-Land Register. He stressed that one of the biggest barriers to investment—property litigation—can be mitigated through clearer, tamper-proof ownership records.

Digital records also enable more accurate property valuations, easier financing, and better due diligence—key for foreign institutional investors looking for large, litigation-free land parcels.

Vimal Nadar, National Director & Head of Research at Colliers India, added that land digitisation not only improves transparency and fairer resource allocation but also helps in credit access and urban expansion. As cities grow, large contiguous land banks with clear titles will become critical for unlocking real estate potential in peripheral zones.