United Arab Emirates Reports Sectoral Developments In 2025 UAE: The United Arab Emirates recorded developments across the energy, infrastructure, maritime transport, housing and digital transformation sectors in 2025, reflecting the implementation of national plans during the year. In the housing sector, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure issued three thousand five hundred and sixty-seven housing support decisions, with a total value AED 2.546 billion (approximately US

houses UK: The four-year framework helps housing providers and local authorities deliver large-scale retrofit programmes aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in homes across the UK. Developed in line with Procure Plus’ four-pillar approach to social housing procurement, focused on cost efficiency, quality and compliance, innovation, and social value, the framework emphasizes skills development, supply chain resilience, and positive outcomes for resident

Austrian Residential Construction Shows Strong Signs of Recovery AUSTRIA: New residential construction in Austria is clearly moving into a recovery phase, driven mainly by strong growth in detached and semi-detached housing. According to Statistics Austria and BRANCHENRADAR, approvals for new residential units rose by 23.1% in the first three quarters of 2025, with a sharp 42.3% increase in the third quarter alone. Private households are once again investing heavily, supporti

Punjab to Launch Large-Scale Affordable Housing Programme INDIA: The Punjab government is set to begin construction of 37,000 housing units under the Punjab Affordable Housing Programme (PAHP), a World Bank-funded initiative worth US$250 million over five years. Of the total, 20,000 homes will be built on state-owned land using World Bank financing, while the remainder will be delivered through private sector participation. Preparatory work is well advanced, with 41 governmen

Philippines Expands Housing and Urban Development Agenda for 2026 PHILIPPINES: The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has outlined an expanded housing and urban development strategy for 2026 under its recalibrated Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH)  programme. The revised approach is now beneficiary-focused, allowing households to choose between vertical housing, house-and-lot units, or lot-only options. DHSUD aims to deliver 90,000 housing u

Portugal Approves 2026 Budget with Strong Emphasis on Housing and Infrastructure PORTUGAL: Portugal’s parliament has approved the 2026 budget, allocating US$7.5 billion (€6.9bn) to housing and transport infrastructure as part of a broader plan to support growth while maintaining fiscal discipline. The centre-right minority government projects GDP growth of around 2.3% and a fourth consecutive budget surplus, alongside a reduction in public debt to about 88% of GDP. Total expe

Foreign Interest Sustains Real Estate M&A Activity in Vietnam Vietnam: Foreign investor interest in real estate mergers and acquisitions in Vietnam has remained steady, despite many publicly disclosed deal values appearing modest. Market participants indicate that these figures do not fully reflect actual capital commitments, as investment strategies have increasingly shifted towards long-term development projects and strategic partnerships. Research indicates that Vietnam ha

BNW Developments Plans Construction Partnership in Ras Al Khaimah UAE: BNW Developments has announced a proposed construction partnership valued at AED 1 billion (USD 272 million/EUR 250 million) with China Railway No. 4 Engineering Group Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited. The collaboration is intended to support BNW’s upcoming development projects in Ras Al Khaimah, following progress on enabling and foundation works across its existing portfolio. The par

Russia Expects Decline in New Home Sales as Mortgage Rules Tighten Russia: State housing agency of Russia, Dom.RF, expects sales of new built homes to decline in 2026 following tighter Russia mortgage subsidies, despite the housing market avoiding a downturn in the previous year. Dom.RF forecasts new home sales of 21 to 22 million square metres in 2026, valued at RUB 4.5 to 4.6 trillion (USD 55.4 to 56.6 billion; EUR 50.9 to 52.0 billion), representing a fall in both volume a

Saudi Arabia SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has announced that invoicing under the White Land and Vacant Properties Fees Program will commence in Riyadh on Jan 1, 2026. The initiative will apply to undeveloped land plots larger than 5,000 sq. meters located within designated urban development zones. These zones are categorised by development priority, with annual fees ranging from 10 percent of land value in high-priority areas to 2.5 perc

International Valves and Taps Alliance Launched to Boost Global Collaboration United States/Europe/Japan: The International Valves and Taps Alliance was officially launched on December 10th, bringing together leading associations of valve and tap manufacturers from the United States, Europe, and Japan. The new global alliance aims to enhance international knowledge sharing and provide common tools to tackle technological, regulatory, and environmental challenges across the va

Housing Prices Fall in China Amid Real Estate Slowdown China: Housing prices in China are falling, with new and previously owned homes dropping across major cities. In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, prices fell 0.8%, while 31 large second-tier cities saw a 2% decline, and 35 medium-sized cities dropped 3.4%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Previously owned housing prices fell 4.4% in first-tier, 5.2% in second-tier, and 5.7% in third-tier cities,

Construction cost pressures delay projects in Western Australia Australia: Perth developments are facing delays as construction cost pressures continue to rise, according to Western Australia’s peak property industry body. Expectations that cost increases might stabilise have eased following new data indicating that pressures may intensify, contributing to a growing number of major projects being placed on hold. Industry representatives note that elevated input prices and lab

New Zealand residential construction rises in third quarter New Zealand: New Zealand’s residential building activity increased in the third quarter, indicating early signs of economic recovery following monetary stimulus by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Statistics New Zealand reported that the volume of residential building work rose 2.8 percent from the previous quarter, reversing a 3.3 percent decline. Activity has begun to edge higher from the four-year low recorded at

Australian building permits decline in October amid sector uncertainty Australia: The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a fall in building permits in October, with year-on-year growth shifting from 15.3 percent to minus 1.8 percent. The data points to a potential slowdown in the construction sector, raising concerns for developers and builders. Analysts note that the decline may reflect rising costs, supply chain constraints or shifts in consumer demand, and they are e

Indonesia to expand housing renovation and subsidy programmes in 2026 Indonesia: Indonesia plans to extend its self-help housing renovation programme to all districts and cities for the first time in 2026, according to the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas, Maruarar Sirait. He noted that 224 districts and cities will not receive allocations in 2025, including 22 areas that have not received assistance through the Self-Help Housing Stimulus (BSPS) programme for five yea

Vietnam real estate body calls for monitoring measures amid rising housing prices Vietnam: The Vietnam Association of Realtors has reported increasing concern over the country’s housing market, noting that home prices continue to rise beyond the financial capacity of most households. In its latest assessment, the association stated that the market is showing signs of instability, with growth driven mainly by high-end developments and speculative activity, while affordable hou

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia 2026 budget outlines plans to build 80,000 new residential units and develop land with local and international developers, involving investments of nearly SAR 70 billion ($18.65 billion). The housing programme will support over 100,000 beneficiaries, with subsidised mortgages for low-income groups making up 35% of supported contracts, and aid for 20,000 vulnerable families. In 2025, more than 107,000 units and plots were delivered, 2.5

Uzbekistan Introduces Decree to Ensure Sustainable Housing Market and Mortgage Development Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a decree “On Measures for the Sustainable Development of the Housing Market and Mortgages” to create a balanced residential construction and housing acquisition system amid economic growth and urbanization. The decree targets doubling annual housing construction to 421,000 units and expanding the mortgage loan portfolio to

Bricoman to Rebrand as Tecnomat in France by Spring 2026 France: The French building materials chain Bricoman will officially rebrand as Tecnomat in spring 2026, following the same step taken by its parent company Adeo in Italy three years ago. The professional distribution chain currently operates 37 locations across France. As part of the transition, the future Tecnomat stores will offer 20,000 items in stock, along with 350,000 additional products available through the onl