Finnish housing transactions leap to the global forefront as DIAS transforms the industry

Digital housing transactions have become the standard way of conducting property deals in Finland. In June 2026, real estate agents completed two out of every three brokered transactions involving existing housing company shares through a digital process. Just over a year ago, most transactions still took place at bank branches. Today, the market is rapidly moving online, and digital transactions have evolved from an alternative into the new normal.

The shift is also visible in consumer behaviour. More and more home buyers and sellers value the ability to complete transactions regardless of time or location. Digital transactions save time, simplify processes when parties are located in different regions, and make housing transactions more flexible for everyone involved.

The same trend is evident in real estate transactions, which are following the digitalisation path established by housing company share transactions. The number of digital property transactions has increased significantly, and a record-breaking 828 property transactions were completed digitally in July. Digital processes are also becoming firmly established in the markets for houses, plots and holiday homes.

Digital housing transactions become the industry standard

DIAS eliminates one of the biggest sources of friction in housing transactions: coordinating schedules between all parties involved. Real estate agents no longer need to arrange a meeting time that suits the buyer, seller and bank simultaneously. Transactions can be completed flexibly from an office, at a property viewing or entirely remotely.

Security standards are also exceptionally high. Every step leaves a complete digital audit trail, while payments and ownership transfers can be verified systematically. At the same time, manual work is reduced and the risk of errors decreases.

In practice, the transaction proceeds through four stages. The real estate agent first agrees the transaction terms with the buyer and seller and obtains approval of the sales agreement before submitting the information to the DIAS platform. The banks then verify the transaction requirements, after which the buyer and seller sign the agreement electronically using strong authentication. Finally, the banks manage payments, ownership transfers and any collateral arrangements.

The agent can monitor the entire process through their own system.

Alma Real Estate’s OviPro brokerage platform is directly integrated with DIAS, enabling agents to initiate transactions without additional process steps. Together, the platforms create a seamless solution covering the entire housing transaction value chain, from marketing to completion.

– One of the most tangible benefits is the speed of ownership registration. The digital process significantly reduces the time previously required to confirm a transfer of ownership. Real estate agents also appreciate a system that saves considerable time, as there is no longer any need to visit a bank branch to complete transactions, says Niilo Ursin, Business Director at DIAS.

A shared infrastructure for the entire industry

DIAS is a platform that connects banks, real estate agents and transaction parties within a single digital process. The same platform supports both housing company share transactions and real estate transactions.
– The platform was developed through extensive collaboration across the industry, enabling rapid adoption and strong market share growth. In practice, all major participants in the Finnish housing transaction ecosystem use and contribute to the development of DIAS,” Ursin explains.

From an international perspective, DIAS is a highly advanced solution. The entire transaction process, from bank verifications to electronic signatures, payments and ownership transfers, can be completed digitally within one integrated service. Comparable solutions remain rare globally. While progress has been made in countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, transaction processes are typically fragmented across multiple systems and stakeholders.

– In Finland, digital housing transactions have advanced exceptionally far as a shared industry infrastructure. All major Finnish banks are involved, making it possible to provide a solution that effectively serves the entire market. This is one of the key reasons why the market share of digital housing transactions has grown so rapidly, Ursin says.

A growing platform with new opportunities

Digital housing transactions continue to expand to new user groups and use cases. In June 2026, the service became available in multiple languages. Buyers and sellers can now complete digital housing company share and real estate transactions in Swedish and English in addition to Finnish.

– Multilingual capabilities make transactions easier for Swedish-speaking and international customers and improve the accessibility of the Finnish housing market, Ursin concludes.

This article is part of Alma Media – The Sum of Its Parts, a series exploring the company’s products, services and value creation, and how the Group’s value is built through strong, complementary businesses.

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