Kotak Mahindra Bank: RLLR: 0.75 | From: 8.7% - To: 10.5%
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HDFC Bank: RLLR: 0.75 | From: 8.5% - To: 8.8%

Dubai's booming property playbook offers vital cues for India's real estate evolution

#Opinions#United Arab Emirates
Mr. Anmoll D Shroff, Founder & CEO, Graanth Realty | Last Updated : 20th Jun, 2025
Synopsis

India's real estate sector showed strong growth in 2024, especially in the luxury segment, but concerns loom over a potential slowdown in 2025. Meanwhile, Dubai reported a 29.19% year-on-year rise in property performance in Q1 2025, thanks to high investor activity, efficient governance, and a strong rental market. Key takeaways for India include Dubai's digitised transaction systems (like Dubai REST), streamlined regulations, and investor-friendly reforms such as long-term visas. While India is progressing with infrastructure and smart city initiatives, integrating Dubai-style transparency, policy clarity, and tech adoption could enhance investor confidence and create more stable, inclusive growth across all real estate segments.

India's real estate sector demonstrated significant momentum throughout 2024, driven in large part by demand for premium and luxury residences. However, industry observers have raised concerns about this growth trajectory potentially levelling out in 2025. In contrast, Dubai, another prominent market for high-end properties, recorded a robust 29.19% increase in property performance year-on-year during the first quarter of 2025. This upswing has been credited to multiple interwoven factors-ranging from a high transaction value and volume, strong foreign investor presence, and a resilient rental market.


Dubai's model presents several lessons that could prove transformative for India's property industry. Central to Dubai's success is its streamlined approach to governance and real estate development. Regulatory institutions like the Dubai Land Department and the Real Estate Regulatory Agency offer a solid compliance framework, which enhances trust among both developers and buyers. Additionally, platforms such as Dubai REST and eMart have significantly digitised the property transaction process, introducing speed, transparency, and operational clarity into the system.

By comparison, India's real estate ecosystem continues to exhibit fragmentation. If government-led efforts in India were to intensify their focus on simplifying procedures and boosting transparency, the sector could witness stronger investor confidence and sustainable growth. Dubai's policy landscape further benefits from investor-oriented reforms including long-term residency visas and favourable tax provisions-factors that have played a key role in attracting capital and encouraging repeat investments.

In terms of urban development, Dubai's superior infrastructure-including a robust public transport network, futuristic smart city initiatives, and a pipeline of mega-projects-has helped position it as one of the world's most desirable property markets. Although India has been stepping up its infrastructure investment, many of its emerging micro-markets remain in early stages. These areas, while cost-effective, still require supportive policy mechanisms and smart city integration to gain wider investor appeal.

India has also been attempting to replicate Dubai's focus on sustainability and technologically advanced infrastructure through its smart cities mission. However, building economic resilience and reducing sector volatility will require further policy refinement, a greater push for responsible lending, and a diversification of asset classes to attract a wider investor demographic.

While India is making progress, especially in the luxury and ultra-luxury housing segments, integrating policies that prioritise transparency, digital access, and regulatory coherence could be pivotal. Incorporating measures inspired by Dubai's real estate framework may enable India to sustain its growth curve and insulate the sector from potential disruptions, ultimately making the market more attractive to long-term investors.

By embracing digital governance, institutional clarity, and investor-centric policy design, India can not only fuel its premium segment growth but also broaden participation across market levels. Robust infrastructural development, if matched by regulatory discipline, can turn the current momentum into a more stable and inclusive growth cycle. As the sector works towards mitigating legacy challenges, Dubai's evolving property blueprint offers both inspiration and a viable roadmap.



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