Transaction volume almost halved to USD 7.7b.

Transactions were down 31% to US$134.6b in 2020, the lowest since 2012’s US$131b.

M&A activity is anticipated to recover to around US$5 billion in 2021.

Investments to hospitality and retail almost halved during the year.

Singapore received a hefty SGD 17.3 billion worth of property investment in 2020.

Tokyo retained its top position.

Regional investors are eyeing offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The establishment of new colleges would create alternative assets for investors.

JLL says non-bank lenders have the potential to grow market share.

Major deals were closed in regional Japan in 2020, especially in Osaka.

Overseas investors are investing in a wide range of sectors in Osaka and Nagoya.

Implementing proptech to spread market information is one.

Most of them prefer to invest in the equity market instead.

But bright spots emerged, with South Korea outperforming this year.

The pace of investment was still much slower than last year as COVID-19 uncertainty continues to hamper markets.

The increase in APAC investment volumes was driven by China (-10% yoy), South Korea (-2% yoy) and Japan (-18% yoy).

It’s a 35% rebound QoQ, ledy by increased activity in North Asian markets.

This reflects a whopping 324% increase from Q2.

Investors are looking at property as a going concern rather than just a physical asset which produces a passive income, says Savills.