The conference, a flagship event of Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology at the University of Warwick, brought together academics, policymakers and business leaders to explore the potential of new technologies that support innovation across property buying, selling, renting, and management.
The FutureFinance.AI project
The £1.25 million research initiative, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), aims to investigate how AI can improve transparency, efficiency and trust in both the financial and real estate sectors.
The project is examining how advanced technologies can be safely integrated into financial and property markets. The project is exploring ways to make data more accessible and reliable, while identifying the skills and regulatory frameworks needed to support responsible innovation.
Read more about the project on the Warwick Business School website - https://www.wbs.ac.uk/news/fintech-1-25-million-ai-and-financial-research/
Propertymark leading industry contributions
As the UK housing sector embraces digital transformation, Propertymark continues to advocate for technology that enhances transparency, reduces risk, and supports professional integrity.
Our involvement with the FutureFinanceAI project adds to our ongoing engagement with UK Government departments and other stakeholders to ensure that technology works in tandem with professional standards, not as a replacement for them.
PropTech has the potential to make property markets faster, fairer and more sustainable, but only if it is built on the right foundations. That means regulation, education and collaboration across government, academia and industry.
PropTech in the UK: challenges and opportunities
The UK PropTech market is already worth over £14 billion and could grow fivefold by 2032. Yet it faces persistent challenges, including fragmented data across public and private systems, unequal digital infrastructure, particularly outside London, skills shortages in areas like data science and AI development, and regulatory uncertainty around property data, privacy, and sustainability standards.
Despite these hurdles, the UK remains a global leader in PropTech, supported by world-class universities, a dynamic start-up ecosystem, and the UK Government's targets to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which is a driver for investment in green and smart building technologies.
Learning from global markets
Comparative research shows the UK can draw lessons from its international counterparts.
- The United States has led innovation in blockchain-based transactions and predictive analytics, with large-scale private investment driving growth.
- China has integrated PropTech into its smart city and sustainability strategies, achieving high consumer adoption through “super apps” like WeChat.
- India, facing rapid urbanisation, is using PropTech to digitise land records and improve access to affordable housing.
Read the full report - Disrupting the Real Estate Industry: the PropTech Revolution in the UK, USA, China and India,
