new delhi apr 30 private equity pe investment into real estate increased by 15 per cent to rs 16530 crore during januarymarch period driven by sharp jump in inflows in residential segment according to property consultant cushman wakefield pe investment in real estate stood at rs 14340 crore in the yearago period private equity inflows into real estate rose 15 per cent yearonyear to rs 16530 crore usd 26 billion during the first quarter eclipsing the inflows of the first quarter of the previous 11 years cushman wakefield cw said in a statement the housing sector gained prominence in inflows with the highest ever inflows in 10 quarters as investors look to gain from government incentives in affordable housing it added pe inflows into the residential sector more than doubled to rs 8518 crore usd 132 billion backed by a large platform transaction between housing development financial corporation hdfc and abu dhabi investment authority adia office segment saw a decline in pe investment at rs 6100 crore from rs 10160 crore during the period under review the decline in investments is due to postponement of closure of certain notable transactions to forthcoming quarters the strong inflow level is testimony to the attractiveness of the indian real estate market for institutional investors affordable housing projects continue to see interest from institutional investors driven by strong enduser demand and government incentives for both developers and homebuyers cw india country head md anshul jain said he said the inflows into this segment will further rise over the next few years during the remaining part of this year we are also likely to witness some marquee deals in the office sector by private equity majors including pension and sovereign funds amidst strong leasing and limited availability of quality assets in core markets jain said the industrial and warehousing sector backed by key economic reforms gst infrastructure status to logistics 100 per cent fdi in ecommerce marketplace is also emerging as a compelling opportunity for investors he said the cw report said that the countrys buoyant office sector continues to attract heightened interest from foreign investors who are building up a portfolio of rentyielding assets the sunshine sector of industrial and warehousing received inflows of rs 350 crore in a logistics park near chennai as part of a platform formed between ascendassingbridge and firstspace realty hospitality sector attracted rs 1200 crore pe investment while retail real estate was able to garner only rs 250 crore mumbai witnessed the highest investments during the quarter with inflows of rs 6330 crore primarily led by the office sector mjh ans ans