Buying a house:

The digital transformation has already arrived and promises to continue modernizing the real estate sector in Portugal, profoundly changing the way of buying and selling houses. "With the legislation that is currently about to be implemented, it will soon be possible to make digital deeds," says João Simões Cunha, Executive Director of SIBS Multicert, in an interview with idealista/news. And leaves a warning: it is essential that the sector agents accelerate the adoption of reliable and safe technological processes in their businesses.

Once the new regulation of digital transactions in real estate is out of the paper and implemented - which may happen later this year -, "all this remote context becomes spectacular by the potential it has for all players in the sector, who sells, who buys, who promotes and even who finances the real estate," believes João Simões Cunha. But the responsible warns that the issue of security "becomes much more relevant", to ensure that those who sign the contracts are the person they say they are and that the documents are true and reliable. This is where SIBS Multicert comes in, which wants to "boost the market with more confidence in data, documentation and people’s identity".

That’s why, in the expert’s opinion, "we are in a phase of spectacular transformation - and it is now, not in a year or two. It is happening, and agents [in real estate and banking] have to quickly adopt these safe technological processes that improve business productivity and margins". Even because technology "comes to help people, who wants to buy, who wants to sell, (...) and adjacent sectors, construction, the financial sector, banking, insurance," says João Simões Cunha, Executive Director of SIBS Multicert, in an interview with idealista/news, held during the Real Estate Fair of Portugal (SIL 2025).
What is the role of SIBS in digitizing the process of buying and selling houses?

SIBS Multicert is one of the companies in the SIBS group and we have been a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) for 24 years. We manufacture digital certificates of identity of people, which is inside the Portuguese Citizen Card and other countries, and passports. We manufacture a secure and qualified digital identity. 

Over time, we have been developing a set of technologies that allow us to accelerate this digital transformation in the financial sector and also in the real estate sector. That is why we are present at SIL, we come to share the technologies that exist to ensure that digital processes are reliable. Therefore, in a registration process, in the case of a portal, for example, users can be registered and identify themselves in a very complete and qualified way. If this is done, then all contacts and proposals of the users are carried out in a context of formalization with who has the property for sale. Therefore, who is promoting the property has the commitment of who wants to buy. And if you have done it in the value chain, who wants to sell is in a process of promise to buy and sell contract or with a commitment contract executed.
With the legislation that is currently about to be implemented, it will soon be possible to carry out digital deeds, and therefore, this entire remote context becomes spectacular due to its potential for all players in the sector: those who sell, those who buy, those who promote, and even those who finance properties. However, the issue of security becomes much more relevant. In this sense, such processes are very important to ensure that the person signing is indeed the person they claim to be. The bank must be certain that the signer is the person who has a set of assets, financial capacity, and that the documents presented – whether from employers or public entities – are unaltered, thus legitimate and trustworthy. This is why these digital processes are very important. At SIBS Multicert, we aim to enhance greater trust in data, documentation, and the identity of individuals in the market.
The regulation that is currently underway, set to come into force very soon, has European guidelines for the real estate sector. Does this mean that it will soon be possible to buy and sell houses in a 100% digital manner? As of today, it is already possible to do this in other sectors; for example, it is possible to purchase cars in a completely digital format. The regulation that is currently underway, set to come into force very soon, has European guidelines for the real estate sector. The enforcement of this regulation depends on several variables, starting with the regulatory entities. It is also true that there is a process for the different players to adopt these technological formats that provide the necessary and minimum security requirements. I believe there is a strong conviction—especially since we are in discussions with a number of relevant entities (such as banks, professional orders, etc.)—that this regulation will be implemented soon, probably still this year.But it is very important that the adoption of these reliable digital flows also happens by all actors. And, in this real estate context, platforms are starting to have fantastic and very relevant representation.

Is there a willingness among those who buy and sell houses to make the process 100% digital? Will it facilitate the remote purchase of homes, especially for foreigners?Clearly, yes. A foreign citizen has an identification document from their sovereign state, and if it's an electronic passport, with the technology we have developed, it is possible to extract the qualified information from these credentials. Then, we can convert this into a digital validation format, using biometrics, and we confirm that the person is who they say they are. From there, their digital footprint is guaranteed and qualified. So, it will be possible for foreign individuals to conduct this type of transactions.In the national context, I also believe so. We have an amazing citizen card, one of the most advanced in Europe. We have the Digital Mobile Key, which is a spectacular and convenient tool. Very soon we will also have biometrics to replace SMS, which are no longer that secure. And we, as citizens, if we can take a remote action, from signing a contract with the bank to buying a house, end up gaining very significant benefits. Therefore, as long as they are reliable, they will trust and do it. The Portuguese trust technology quite a lot. I think we have that advantage.
Now, in these sectors where there are great concerns about risks in transactions, it is necessary for the processes to be organized and integrated. And I believe that this will be much faster, more comfortable, and more reliable, not only for individuals but also for organizations. In real estate, there is still a high amount of paperwork that continues to be handled, which is very difficult. Then, where are these physical documents stored? And how will we consult them? All of this takes a lot of time. All of this is in a digital and qualified journey, which will make people's lives easier. And of course, Artificial Intelligence will also help a lot here, to systematize the processes. Therefore, we are in a phase of spectacular transformation – and it is now, not in a year or two. It is happening, and agents must quickly adopt these secure technological processes that improve productivity and business margins.


Are they also talking to banks and credit intermediaries to make home loan granting digital? The SIBS group, by its historical nature, is very involved with the financial sector. And SIBS Multicert, as a company of the group, is also involved. Therefore, we have already helped and supported many banks in their digital journeys, from account opening to the process of digital signature of credit contracts and, so we are already in consumer credit with a number of clients. We have been doing this for many years and we know how to do it. We are not bringing new ideas. We are a regulated entity by the National Security Office, having a great concern with 'compliance'. As a tech house, we are taking what emerging technology brings, we pass it through the regulatory filter, and when we have the green light, the processes can already be done reliably.
And having said this to the entities in the sector, everyone starts to trust and use it. We are a facilitator of this type of process technology and we are at the right timing to do this. "Technology helps people's lives, those who want to buy, those who want to sell, those who work in this sector." How can there be a balance between human resources and technology in real estate operations? Technology is not here to replace humans. Technology is here to help humans work better and have a more interesting and happy life. That is the purpose of the concept of technology. What will happen is that people will be invited to perform a set of tasks in a different way. They will have time to do other types of much more relevant tasks because technology will simplify things that no longer make sense, like printing documents and storing papers in files.Companies no longer need to have several square meters of storage, which is then difficult to consult. Therefore, technology will facilitate life for companies and people. Artificial Intelligence itself provides us with very interesting answers, which are clues for us to do our work. Then, we have the obligation to understand whether it makes sense or not. There will be a need for humans to oversee these digital processes. Now, these technological processes ensure that fraud is much lower, there is much less error, and that is good for everyone.Therefore, technology helps people's lives, those wanting to buy, those wanting to sell, those working in this sector - which is also very relevant - and in adjacent sectors, in construction, in finance, in banking, in insurance, so it is always more comfortable for everyone.
In the future, what is SIBS's strategy for the real estate sector?As of today, SIBS Multicert has a very relevant footprint in the trust of digital processes and digital identity. We have been doing this very well for many years. We have been investing heavily in biometrics over the past two years, which is a technological piece that ensures, in a digital context, to identify if João is indeed João, and in a qualified way, confronts this information with the identification document.Today, almost all of us work daily with many SMS, whether from the bank or from the Digital Mobile Key. SMS has been in use for more than ten years, but it is a technology that is very vulnerable, with many attacks and associated fraud. Therefore, in the coming years, SIBS Multicert will be disseminating technological solutions that are nowadays much more secure and much more reliable. SMS will be replaced, we know that, by biometrics with European regulation that must clearly be facial biometrics.