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Commercial Property Markets & Investing

Staff Reporter

, Singapore

Published:

1 month ago

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Cross‑border real estate inflows surge to $7.24b in Q1

Portfolio deal and retail activity lift volumes to $7.24b, says Knight Frank.

Singapore recorded $7.24b (USD5.7b) in cross-border real estate investment in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, rising from below $1.27b (USD1b) a year earlier, according to real estate consultancy firm Knight Frank.

The company said the increase was driven mainly by Hongkong Land’s spin-off of a portfolio of institutional-grade office assets and a retail mall into a private real estate fund backed by Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and APG Group.

It said the transaction was among the largest portfolio deals in Asia-Pacific (APAC) during the quarter and accounted for a significant share of regional cross-border volumes.

Knight Frank said Singapore’s inflows came amidst a broader recovery in APAC capital markets, where cross-border investment more than doubled year on year to $28.44b (USD22.4b) and made up 34.8% of total regional activity.

A separate HSBC survey found that 95% of Singapore-based respondents plan to increase cross-border trade or investment over the next five years.

The same survey also found that 91% of Singapore respondents have recalibrated capital allocation strategies in response to volatility, with technology and AI cited as key drivers of international investment decisions.

Sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors contributed $16.25b (USD12.8b) in Q1 2026, compared with $10.92b (USD8.6b) a year earlier.

Beyond the headline portfolio deal, Singapore also saw increased activity in the retail segment, with investment rising to $1.4b (USD1.1b).

Knight Frank cited Hines’ acquisition of Bukit Panjang Plaza from CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT) for $427.81m (USD337m) as part of the quarter’s deal flow.

The firm said Asia-Pacific investment activity overall rose to $82.01b (USD64.6b) in Q1 2026, the strongest quarterly performance since Q4 2021, supported by renewed deployment into core and income-stable assets across key markets.

$1.27 = USD1

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