What we learned in 2025 – 4 insights from the year

#1: The door is the starting point for understanding how the property is actually used.

Among all the digital systems in a property, there is a data source that has previously been somewhat overlooked, but when access becomes digital, it also becomes measurable.

We are seeing property owners start to use access logs to understand how premises are actually being used, optimize operations, and create more flexible environments. Event and access logs are becoming key to smarter management, better utilization, and more sustainable operations.

#2: It is the experience that creates value, not the function itself

As our colleague Denice mentioned earlier this fall, Proptech has evolved from connecting buildings to connecting people. The focus has shifted from what technology can do to what it actually means to people. Digitalization is no longer just about systems and functions, but above all about creating experiences, relationships, and everyday value. 

Unlocking a door or similar with the smartphone not only convenient—it is a way to understand user behavior and thus build trust between property owners and tenants. It is also part of how people experience a building. A smooth access experience says something about the entire property: it is modern, simple, and tailored to the user. 

In this way, the building becomes more than just a physical place it becomes an experience that helps strengthen the relationship between users and property owners, creating loyalty and insights. 

#3: It pays to dare to build openly, collaborate, and see your solution as part of something bigger.

For many years, "ecosystem" has been a buzzword in Proptech, but from 2025, we at Parakey will be taking it to the next level. 

To jump straight to another buzzword, we can say that there are sometimes clear synergies. Such as between Parakey and Nexudus, a property system focused on coworking, which this year was the first to use our SDK to enable unlocking via its app and its customers' white label apps. This makes things easier for users, who no longer need to use multiple apps.

This is an example of the seamless user experience that the industry has long talked about – where users don't need to think about the solution behind it, just that it works. It is also a clear example of how mobile access is becoming a natural part of the user experience.

Ecosystems are not just about technology talking to technology—they are also about collaboration. This is where we, as different parts of the so-called Proptech ecosystem, can help each other in our common drive—to help the real estate industry use data and technology to create more value for its tenants and employees.

We have put this type of collaboration into practice in 2025 – with Picler, Planima, Pigello, Avy, Vyer, and others – through a number of events where we have brought together and educated the industry, and we will continue to do so in 2026.

#4: Cybersecurity becomes part of the value proposition for tenants

Speaking of 2026, after the turn of the year, the NIS2 Directive will be introduced in Sweden through a law that is expected to come into force on January 15, 2026. This abbreviation has been increasingly discussed in 2025, including in the real estate industry. Even though most real estate companies are not on the NIS2 list themselves, many tenants are, and they in turn must demonstrate that their suppliers, including the property owner, are not the weak link.

As our CEO Jonas writes in a blog post about NIS2, a modern office building today is more computer than concrete. We see an opportunity for property owners to make their cybersecurity work part of their offering to tenants.

Cybersecurity thus becomes part of customer value. And property owners who work openly, systematically, and proactively will be in the strongest position when requirements become more stringent.

2025 ➡️ 2026

2025 showed that Proptech had matured: from technology to experience, from access to insight, and from individual solutions to close collaborations. 2026 will be the year when Proptech continues to accelerate: where experience, data, and security are not seen as separate parts but as a common whole. With mobile access as a natural part of the user experience.