Key Takeaways
- • India hosts one of the world's largest and youngest workforces while emerging as a growing technology business hub, presenting structural growth opportunities for institutional investors seeking exposure to demographic and innovation tailwinds.
- • Four major institutional real estate investors—Ascendas-Firstspace, Actis, Brookfield, and Alta Capital (operating Rava Partners)—participated in a February 2026 roundtable discussion examining investment conditions and opportunities across Indian markets.
- • Ease of doing business in India has improved significantly in recent years, reducing regulatory friction for foreign institutional capital seeking entry into Indian real estate and logistics sectors.
- • The roundtable assembled executives including Aloke Bhuniya (CEO of India logistics at Ascendas-Firstspace), Brian Chinappi (global head of real estate and data centres at Actis), Ankur Gupta (deputy global CIO and head of Asia Pacific and Middle East real estate at Brookfield), and Siddhartha Gupta (managing partner at Alta Capital).
Summary
In February 2026, Institutional Real Estate Asia Pacific convened a roundtable discussion with leading institutional investors to assess investment opportunities and market conditions in India. The conversation, moderated by senior editor Dr. Jennifer Molloy, brought together four prominent figures managing significant capital across Indian real estate, logistics, and technology sectors.
India's macroeconomic fundamentals present compelling characteristics for institutional investors: the nation maintains one of the world's largest labor forces combined with a comparatively young demographic profile, creating structural advantages for long-term economic growth. Concurrently, India has established itself as an emerging hub for technology business development, attracting multinational corporations and venture capital seeking to diversify operations away from traditional Silicon Valley and East Asian concentrations.
The participating investors represent substantial institutional commitments to Indian markets. Aloke Bhuniya leads India logistics operations at Ascendas-Firstspace, a joint venture between CapitaLand Investment and Firstspace, positioning the firm within the critical logistics and industrial real estate segment. Actis, represented by global head of real estate and data centres Brian Chinappi, has expanded its footprint across real estate and technology infrastructure. Brookfield's Ankur Gupta, serving as deputy global CIO and head of Asia Pacific and Middle East real estate, brings portfolio-level perspective across multiple geographies. Alta Capital's Siddhartha Gupta, as managing partner of Rava Partners (Hillhouse's sole operating vehicle in India), reflects the growing concentration of global alternative capital targeting the Indian market.
A notable catalyst for increased institutional activity has been the measurable improvement in India's ease of doing business environment over recent years, reducing regulatory and operational friction for foreign investors. This regulatory evolution has lowered barriers to entry and streamlined capital deployment, making India more accessible to large-scale institutional investors previously deterred by administrative complexity.
The roundtable discussion examined both current market health and forward-looking investment thesis across Indian real estate, logistics, and technology sectors, though detailed findings and specific recommendations from the experts remain part of the broader Institutional Real Estate Asia Pacific publication.
India's macroeconomic fundamentals present compelling characteristics for institutional investors: the nation maintains one of the world's largest labor forces combined with a comparatively young demographic profile, creating structural advantages for long-term economic growth. Concurrently, India has established itself as an emerging hub for technology business development, attracting multinational corporations and venture capital seeking to diversify operations away from traditional Silicon Valley and East Asian concentrations.
The participating investors represent substantial institutional commitments to Indian markets. Aloke Bhuniya leads India logistics operations at Ascendas-Firstspace, a joint venture between CapitaLand Investment and Firstspace, positioning the firm within the critical logistics and industrial real estate segment. Actis, represented by global head of real estate and data centres Brian Chinappi, has expanded its footprint across real estate and technology infrastructure. Brookfield's Ankur Gupta, serving as deputy global CIO and head of Asia Pacific and Middle East real estate, brings portfolio-level perspective across multiple geographies. Alta Capital's Siddhartha Gupta, as managing partner of Rava Partners (Hillhouse's sole operating vehicle in India), reflects the growing concentration of global alternative capital targeting the Indian market.
A notable catalyst for increased institutional activity has been the measurable improvement in India's ease of doing business environment over recent years, reducing regulatory and operational friction for foreign investors. This regulatory evolution has lowered barriers to entry and streamlined capital deployment, making India more accessible to large-scale institutional investors previously deterred by administrative complexity.
The roundtable discussion examined both current market health and forward-looking investment thesis across Indian real estate, logistics, and technology sectors, though detailed findings and specific recommendations from the experts remain part of the broader Institutional Real Estate Asia Pacific publication.
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