Data has become mission-critical to real estate fund management, shaping investment decisions, operations, regulatory compliance and investor confidence. Yet many European real estate managers still rely on fragmented systems, inconsistent standards and legacy processes that prevent data from being used effectively. The result is growing operational friction and a narrowing path to alpha, writes Sylwia Toczyska, Enterprise Account Management at Vistra Fund Solutions, in an article for Property Forum.

At CEE Property Forum 2025, one message cut through the discussion on technology and investment: data quality is no longer a technical concern, but a decisive factor in risk, returns and access to capital. Moderated by James Garner, Global Head of AI & Data at Gleeds, the panel brought together experts from real estate, finance, technology and law to examine how fragmented systems, regulatory pressure and rising investor expectations are forcing the industry to rethink how decisions are made—and what happens when data can no longer be trusted.

The executive data roundtable at the CEE Property Forum in Vienna marked a new format for senior real estate decision-makers in Central and Eastern Europe. Held under Chatham House rules, the session enabled an open and strategic exchange on the role of data in driving portfolio performance, risk management, and resilience.

The industrial real estate market in CEE has entered 2025 with strong momentum. According to new market data released by iO Partners, the total stock of industrial space has reached 34.4 million sqm in Q1 2025, marking a 1.1% quarter-on-quarter increase. 

In 2023, the European Central Bank's interest rates have reached their highest level in 23 years and they are not expected to decrease in the near future. This development has had a significant impact on various sectors, but on top of the podium is the construction and real estate industry. As interest rates rise, investors in both the residential and commercial segments are compelled to reassess their strategies, potentially leading to reductions in investments. Many have realised that now is the perfect time to optimise their portfolios by finding the right digital tools.

The panel discussion on the future of asset and property management, held as part of the Future of Real Estate 2023 conference in Warsaw, showed that proper management and use of data can be key to maintaining the value of real estate assets in tougher investment times. The November event was co-organized by Property Forum and RICS.

Real estate market players are starting to recognise the importance of data but finding the right way to collect, analyse and utilise it is still often a challenge. Matej Leskovar, Managing Director at Slovenia-based software solution provider Imagine d.o.o. talked to Property Forum about this topic in detail.

Andreas Kozma, Founder & CEO of integrated real estate management system provider iREMS International, talked to Property Forum about the value of data for property companies and shared his recommendations for property owners regarding their data management processes.

Data is key for the execution of a successful ESG strategy, according to the first panel discussion at the European ESG Property Forum conference in Warsaw where leading investors, bankers and advisors provided insight into the topic.

The real estate industry has been sitting on valuable data for long, now it’s taking advantage of it. Alexander Rafajlovič, who joined CA Immo as Head of Market Research & Data Analytics in January, talked to Property Forum about the importance of data on the real estate investment market and shared his expectations for the year ahead.