OnthemarketBlog YouTube @property1 @onthemarketblog

Rics flagship conference looked at investment trends in property technology. We brought together leading investors and the head of policy for the EU Commission’s department for enterprise, DG Grow. RICS Futures: Our Changing... World  Over 160 MIPIM attendees came along to find out where the investment was going in this space and what impact PropTech will have on the sector over the next 5-10 years. Key insights included the scale tech development that investors felt was just around the corner - currently it is a “drop in the ocean compared to fintech”. One attendee from the World Economic Forum asked how PropTech will change markets and the global economy. The answer from the panel was a resounding “beyond recognition”. Driverless cars will drop you off and park outside cities; data consolidation and sharing will make markets flow in a more liquid fashion, leases will be more flexible and transactions will be quicker. “Investors have begun to wake up and smell th...

In reality, investing in commercial real estate has never been as simple as Monopoly makes it seem. Individuals generally can’t buy directly into commercial property development deals at all. But now U.K. startup BrickVest is seeking to do something vaguely reminiscent -- it’s bringing big-time commercial real estate development direct to Europe’s monied masses. The company officially opens for business today, with a crowd-funding model that will allow individuals to fund projects around the world with as little as a 1,000 euro ($1,114) investment. They can later use the platform to sell their stakes, creating a more transparent and, if all goes according to plan, liquid, market than currently exists for such investments. The company, which is regulated by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority , is hoping to attract deals in the 500,000 pound to 50 million pound range. "Traditionally, commercial real estate investment has suffered from issues around quality, transparen...