Overseas Capital Investment in India Touches USD 2.6 bn Recording a 31% Growth: Knight Frank’s Active Capital Report

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27th June:- Knight Frank, the independent global property consultancy, today launched Active Capital: The 2018 Report. Looking at the shifts in capital flows, the report dives into the sources and destinations of cross-border investments in commercial real estate.

India ranks an impressive 19^th position amongst the 73 countries that attracted cross-border capital into their property market in 2017. With USD 2.6 bn of cross-border capital inflows (excluding development sites), India ranks ahead of its Asia Pacific regional counterparts like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines, who collectively attracted lesser capital flows compared to India.

Capital flows into Indian property market have been 10 times higher than the outflows in

2017. USD 2.6 bn of inflow was recorded compared to outbound capital flows to the tune of USD 0.26 bn last year. Led by a battery of reforms like RERA, GST and demonetisation, the attractiveness of Indian real estate potential has caught the fancy of international investors and developers alike resulting into this favorable investment account.

Compared to 86% share in 2016, United States, Canada and Singapore collectively contributed to 84% of capital inflows to Indian property followed by United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong in 2017.  

Shishir Baijal, Chairman & Managing Director, Knight Frank India, said that cross-border capital inflows (excluding development sites) to India stood at USD 2.6 bn in 2017 recording a 31% growth over 2016. Ranking an impressive 19th position amongst 73 countries that attracted cross-border capital into their property market, India has surged ahead of its Asia Pacific regional counterparts which collectively attracted lesser capital flows compared to India. 

The changes in business environment brought by landmark reforms like GST and RERA besides others coupled with government impetus for affordable housing and an imminent possibility for REITs as an asset vehicle have infused confidence among the stakeholders of the Indian property market. In the latest four-year period (2014 – 2017), the inflows were over four times the outflows compared to the earlier four-year period (2010 – 2013) when they were at par. This highlights a paradigm shift in Indian realty's potential as an attractive investment avenue.