Proptech fuels surge of younger global investors reshaping UAE real estate

Dubai’s property market closed 2025 with Dh682.5 billion in property sales, a 31% year‑on‑year increase, and opened 2026 with Dh111 billion in January alone — an 8% rise compared with the same month a year earlier — according to Kubeir Khera, CEO and Founder of Propkee. More than 215,000 sales transactions were recorded, with buyers from over 150 countries participating, a shift Khera says is being powered by advances in proptech that lower transactional friction and expand access for a younger, digitally fluent cohort of global investors.

“These are not cyclical spikes. This is structural demand, and proptech is a key enabler,” Khera said.

How proptech is changing buyer geography and behaviour

Khera argues the technology has altered who can participate and how they build conviction. “A salaried professional in Mumbai or a first‑time investor in Manchester can now discover, verify, and transact on a Dubai property without flying in,” he said. Propkee data cited in the report shows users engage with immersive video content for more than 20 minutes before making an inquiry, and a growing number of buyers decide without conducting a physical site visit.

That change is visible across the ownership lifecycle. Rajneel Kumar, Co‑Founder and COO of Rentify, highlighted the digitisation of the rental layer as crucial for overseas buyers who plan to manage income‑generating assets remotely. “Proptech has removed a lot of the friction, mainly by making the early steps digital and repeatable,” Kumar said. He added: “When rent, receipts, renewals and approvals are centralised into one workflow, investors gain clearer visibility into affordability, payment behaviour and lease performance without relying on manual paperwork. That makes it easier for overseas buyers to underwrite assets and manage them from a distance.”

Technology stack and institutional enablers

• Discovery and decisioning: AI‑led recommendation engines and immersive virtual viewings are helping younger buyers research independently and build conviction.
• Transaction and compliance: Najib Khanafer, CEO of Rewa, pointed to “remote KYC and AML, e‑signatures and digital contracts, as well as real‑time title verification and transaction data through platforms integrated with the Dubai Land Department and Ejari” as shortening timelines and improving auditability.
• Policy tailwinds: Measures such as 100% foreign ownership, the Golden Visa, zero income tax and continued investment in digital governance have reduced procedural barriers for cross‑border capital.

Khera characterised the shift in buyer behaviour as structural: “The traditional model was relationship‑driven — trust your broker, visit a show flat, make a gut decision,” he said. “Today’s buyer behaves like an e‑commerce consumer. They research independently, consume video content to build conviction, and expect the same data transparency they get from Amazon or Netflix.”

Outlook

Market participants in the article expect proptech to continue broadening the investor base beyond ultra‑high‑net‑worth individuals to overseas professionals, entrepreneurs and family offices that prioritise speed, transparency and remote capabilities. As platforms standardise remote verification, automate documentation and surface richer data, Dubai’s property market looks set to attract a more globally distributed, digitally native cohort of buyers — a structural evolution that market stakeholders say will shape transactions and asset management well beyond simple price movements.