Industry experts believe the next phase of growth for India’s REIT market could significantly broaden retail participation as the ecosystem expands beyond office assets into sectors such as warehousing, logistics, hospitality, retail, and data centres.
REITs, or Real Estate Investment Trusts, were originally introduced in the US during the 1960s to enable retail investors to participate in income-generating commercial real estate through stock exchanges.
In India, REIT units are listed on the NSE and BSE and are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), offering high levels of disclosure, governance, and transparency.
According to data from the Indian REIT Association, India currently has five listed REITs with a combined market capitalisation of nearly Rs 1.7 lakh crore as of May 15, 2026.
Cushman & Wakefield’s Q1 2026 Capital MarketBeat report also highlighted that REITs accounted for 26% of institutional real estate inflows during the quarter, underscoring their growing relevance in the investment ecosystem.
REITs Becoming a Bridge Between Real Estate and Financial Markets
Pratik Tibrewala- Senior-Vice President & Head Corporate Finance – M3M said REITs have emerged as a critical mechanism to address India’s high cost of capital while supporting the country’s long-term urbanisation and infrastructure needs.According to Tibrewala, REITs have evolved into a preferred monetisation route for stable income-generating office and retail assets over the last eight years and are now expanding into new-economy sectors such as logistics and data centres. He noted that predictable quarterly yields have attracted increasing participation from family offices, mutual funds, and debt investors.
Tibrewala added that India remains at an early stage of REIT penetration despite being one of Asia’s largest real estate markets across office, retail, warehousing, and data centres. He expects the ecosystem to grow significantly in terms of scale, value, and asset diversity in the coming years.
Importantly, he pointed out that REITs are accelerating the financialisation of Indian real estate by channeling domestic savings into infrastructure-linked income assets, while also opening monetisation opportunities for regional developers through acquisition of third-party assets.
Retail Participation Expected to Rise Sharply
Raunaq Arora & Maanu Dewan (Founders Ace Consulting – Real Estate Consultancy Firm based out of Gurugram) said, India’s REIT ecosystem is rapidly transitioning from an early-stage product into a mainstream investment category.
The founders noted that listed REITs in India have already distributed more than Rs 22,000 crore to unitholders since inception, reflecting stable income generation and rising investor confidence. They believe growing domestic participation is helping widen the capital base of the sector.
Arora and Dewan expect three major trends to shape the next phase of REIT growth in India — expansion beyond office assets into retail, warehousing, hospitality, and mixed-use developments; greater retail investor participation due to predictable yields and lower ticket sizes; and stronger institutional participation as REITs increasingly become part of core investment portfolios.
They added that as India’s Grade A office stock and income-generating assets continue to expand, REITs could play a role similar to mature global markets by improving liquidity, transparency, and long-term capital formation in the real estate sector.
Democratising Access to Real Estate Investments
Pushpender Singh, Managing Director, JMS Group said REITs have significantly changed the nature of real estate investing in India by making the sector more accessible and transparent for investors who may not have the ability or desire to buy physical real estate assets directly.
He believes that as regulations strengthen and the market matures further, REITs will increasingly become an integral part of investment portfolios while helping bridge the gap between real estate and traditional financial investments.
Meanwhile, Manik Malik, CEO and President, BPTP said India’s REIT market still remains at an early stage compared to mature global economies, suggesting substantial room for future growth.
According to Malik, REITs are gradually transforming real estate from a traditionally illiquid and ownership-driven asset class into a transparent, yield-oriented financial product. He also highlighted that REITs are democratising access to institutional-quality real estate assets for both retail and institutional investors.
Malik added that regulatory developments such as the introduction of SM-REITs could further deepen retail participation in the sector. He expects the next phase of REIT growth to be driven by diversification into sectors including hospitality, logistics, warehousing, retail, and data centres.
A Long-Term Wealth Creation Opportunity?
Industry experts believe India’s REIT ecosystem is approaching an important inflection point as rising investor awareness, stable yield expectations, and improving market depth continue to attract both retail and institutional capital.
With lower ticket sizes, predictable distributions, and exposure to premium commercial assets, REITs are increasingly being viewed as a potential long-term wealth creation avenue for retail investors looking beyond traditional options such as fixed deposits, equities, or direct property ownership.
As India’s commercial real estate market expands and becomes more institutionalised, REITs could emerge as one of the most important investment categories in the country’s evolving financial landscape.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
