Real Estate PE Investments Log 40% Annual Rise in 1H FY23: Report

Private Equity (PE) investments in the real estate sector registered an increase of 40 per cent in FY23 as compared to 1H FY22, says a report.

Investor confidence in Indian real estate is increasing steadily on the back of improvements in the Indian economy despite global headwinds and the continued robustness of its real estate industry.

“Investment focus by PE investors in 1H and 2H FY22 was markedly strong in MMR. In 1H FY23, it has shifted to other regions. NCR witnessed a strong increase in capital inflows in PE - from USD 181 Mn in 1H FY22 and USD 590 M, in 2H FY22 to USD 942 Mn in 1H FY23. There was a 60 per cent rise in investments in 1H FY23 in NCR compared to 2H FY22 due to JV platform deals like Brookfield + Bharti Enterprises and Bain Capital + TARC", says Shobhit Agarwal, MD & CEO – of Anarock Capital.

The Top 10 Deals

These accounted for 86 per cent of the total value of PE investments in 1H FY23 as compared to 80 per cent in 1H FY22.

Average Ticket Size

The average ticket size has risen to USD 121 in 1H FY23 from USD 75 in 1H FY22 and USD 106 in 2H FY22. This is largely due to investors’ focus shifting more towards multi-city deals and deployment by JV platforms. 

Equity vs Debt Funding

Equity investments in real estate has witnessed a considerable increase - 43% higher in 1H FY23 compared to the same period last year. Debt funding, on the other hand, saw a 20% rise.

Investors’ preference for equity is evident from the fact that the share of equity investments in Indian real estate continues to be healthy at 79 per cent - 300 bps higher than 1H FY22.

Asset Class-wise Funding
“Post-pandemic, demand and confidence in the commercial real estate sector has seen a meaningful recovery,” says Agarwal. “PE investments in this space was USD 1,862 Mn in 1H FY23 - almost equivalent to the investment in last year. The commercial RE space is preferred by PE investors, as evidenced by the fact that the investment share of commercial assets in the overall real estate pie has increased from 18 per cent and 56 per cent in 1H FY22 and 2H FY22 to 67 per cent in 1H FY23.”

Demand in the residential sector has also remained healthy in post-pandemic times, resulting in the residential asset class being second-most preferred among all asset classes, with USD 372 Mn being funnelled into it in 1H FY23. The PE investment figure stood at USD 378 Mn and USD 390 Mn in the 1st half and 2nd half of FY23, respectively.

Domestic vs Foreign Funding
The share of investments by foreign investors continued at around 78% in 1H FY23, clearly reflecting the continued global confidence in India’s real estate industry.

Domestic investments increased by 45%, and foreign investments increased by 36% of the total capital inflows in Indian real estate in 1H FY23 compared to 1H FY22.

Key Takeaways
Commercial RE - With many corporates moving from WFH to hybrid mode, demand and confidence in the commercial space has resurged, and this is expected to continue for the next few quarters.

Residential RE - Demand in the residential sector is rising due to significantly improved homeownership sentiments amid continued WFH and hybrid work policies by many companies post the pandemic. This will continue to keep the residential space in the investor’s focus zone.

Retail RE - Investments in the retail space are expected to remain subdued for the next few quarters until physical shopping returns to more promising levels.

Industrial & Logistics - Strong e-commerce demand and buoyancy in the manufacturing sector are expected to keep the momentum in the industrial and logistics sector upbeat.