Piece, a European real estate fintech company founded and developed in Italy, presents its own digital platform that simplifies and makes investing in the property market more accessible by digitising property-related securities. Backed by a regulated and transparent structure and with the approval of Consob, which has verified its accuracy, transparency and regulatory compliance to protect investors, the Piece platform allows users to invest in property from as little as €100.
Piece was founded in Italy with the aim of developing a platform capable of operating in the property market within complex regulatory frameworks and across multiple European markets. From the outset, the project was conceived with an international outlook, combining technological expertise, a focus on legal structures and a prudent approach to product development.
“Piece was founded in Italy as a business venture with a clear European focus,” says Kentaro Sohara, co-founder of Piece (pictured here with the team), in a statement. “We have devoted time and effort to building a robust platform capable of operating within complex regulatory frameworks. The fact that the platform is now operational on an international scale represents a natural step in this journey.”
The platform offers access to tokenised securities linked to specific income-generating properties. Investors share in the rental income and in the potential long-term appreciation of the property’s value. The digital infrastructure has been designed and structured with the aim of simplifying direct access to property investments for those who, due to high barriers to entry, operational complexities or insufficient capital, find it difficult to access the market.
Piece is designed to operate within the main European regulatory frameworks. The platform has been structured to function in complex regulatory environments, with a particular focus on clarity of roles, documentation and investor protection. The issuance of securities and investment brokerage activities are carried out in accordance with current European legislation (MiFID II), with the involvement of authorised entities. This approach enables Piece to operate with a high level of transparency and accountability throughout all stages of the investment process.
“With Piece, investing in property has never been so accessible,” says Riccardo Momigliano, co-founder. “Even without a large amount of capital, anyone can earn returns on property through tokenised securities, without having to buy or manage any property.” “Every investment is linked to a property that generates real income, with security and transparency guaranteed by blockchain technology. With Piece, investing in property is simpler, safer and accessible to everyone.”
Each investment is structured as a standalone security, linked to a single property and with a fixed term. Dividend distributions are derived from the rental income of the underlying property. An integrated secondary market allows investors to buy or sell the securities after the initial placement phase, offering potential additional liquidity options compared to traditional property investments, although there are no guarantees regarding execution or price.
With the global launch of the platform, Piece is targeting investors who view investment in the property market as a long-term component within a regulated framework. Further properties and platform features are expected to be added later this year.
The aim is to share investment opportunities in income-generating property assets in Italy and other countries. The initial focus is on Tier 2 residential properties in Italy; for example, the strategy is currently focused on co-living apartments for students in Turin and Padua: leading university districts where the gap The balance between supply and demand for beds is more critical. With a view to expansion, other Italian cities are currently being assessed, with the aim of scaling up the model. Although the focus is on the residential segment, with solid fundamentals in specific cities, there are plans to extend the scope of investment to include complementary asset classes such as retail, industrial and logistics, with the ambition of exporting the operating model to foreign markets as well, replicating a strategy of geographical and asset-type diversification that is currently lacking for the average investor.
The operational approach is similar to that of institutional investment funds. The process begins with a rigorous macroeconomic analysis, aimed at developing a specific investment thesis for each urban area, validated by sector-specific experts. Once the scope of the project has been defined, a select network of sourcing partners is brought in to identify the most promising opportunities. The assessment goes beyond the current value of the asset to encompass the fundamentals of the local area, urban regeneration plans and infrastructure development strategies, with the aim of anticipating market trends.
The due diligence phase is at the heart of our risk management process; we meticulously verify planning compliance, land registry conformity and the absence of any outstanding legal disputes. Every acquisition is subject to a physical inspection of the assets and the final approval of an investment committee, which assesses whether the transaction meets our performance standards.
Investments are made exclusively in assets that offer clear potential for capital appreciation. The exit strategy is planned from the outset: we select properties that guarantee high liquidity and steady appreciation over time. Only 2% of the properties analysed successfully pass the screening process.
Piece has an international community, with thousands of users from 30 different countries. Although Europe is its core market, interest from around the world is growing rapidly, confirming the model’s cross-border scalability.
“In terms of demographics, our core user base is in the 30–55 age group, consisting mainly of professionals in the middle of their careers, who have chosen Piece as a tool for strategic asset diversification. For them, our platform is not just a point of access, but a model that allows them to allocate capital into real estate with a level of flexibility and granularity previously reserved only for large institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals,” say the co-founders. “We currently manage assets worth one million euros, supported by a pipeline of 15 property assets spread across the country. Operational performance is excellent: the total return, combining rental income and capital appreciation, stands at between 7% and 10%.”
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