Meeting the future challenges of data in real estate – Citco speaks to Real Asset Insight

9 August 2024 - The real estate sector needs a step change to make the most of the opportunities offered by advanced data analytics, the Citco group of companies (Citco) and other industry experts agreed at Real Asset Media’s Data Uncovered: Meeting the Future Challenges of Data roundtable recently.

Ainun Ayub, head of product for real assets, Citco (UK) Limited, told the roundtable that it was time for the real estate sector to catch up to other parts of the alternative investment market when it comes to data.

“The real estate sector needs to step up, as the hedge fund industry went through this process 10 years ago,” said Ayub. “We’re on the cusp of a big change because everyone, from fund managers to real asset managers, is pushing in the same direction now, looking at the whole system holistically.”

Data consistency is also crucial for the sector to enable it to move forward, but Ayub added that some areas – like AI – had to be used carefully.

“Managing data responsibly is crucial,” said Ayub. “As systems and platforms get more integrated, then a mistake can be catastrophic. Beware thinking AI can solve every problem, because the nature of technology is that it’s ever-changing, so you need to work with the existing architecture, but keep building and adding on.”

The full roundtable hosted by Real Asset Media can be read here.