HSBC has identified USD 872bn of individual infrastructure project packages within a wider USD 1.4tn planned and unawarded pipeline across the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye, which it says offers investors greater exposure to the region ahead of 2030.
The pipeline grew 54% between January 2023 and January 2026, from USD 792bn to USD 1.22trn, and rose a further 15% between January and October 2026, according to the bank’s latest infrastructure report.
Group Chief Executive Georges Elhedery, speaking at Future Forum 2026, said the Gulf would recover from the impact of the Iran war through investment in alternative trade routes, and suggested the Strait of Hormuz could become redundant within around five years. He also said conflict has raised project costs, a pressure he described as global rather than specific to the region. Contract awards reached USD 10.5bn for AI-enabling infrastructure and USD 48.1bn for transport by October 2026, the latter already above the USD 37.1bn awarded across 2025.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer