BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) announced a strategic partnership with Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund L’IMAD, and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to raise $30 billion for infrastructure investments today [1, 2, 3, 4].
The collaboration aims to mobilize equity and debt capital to fund both greenfield and brownfield projects spanning energy, transportation, and logistics sectors. Investments will focus on the Gulf region, Central Asia, and selected opportunities across the wider Middle East and North Africa [2, 3, 4].
BlackRock completed its $12.5 billion acquisition of GIP in 2024, positioning itself to lead these large-scale investments [2, 3, 4]. L’IMAD, chaired by Abu Dhabi’s crown prince and with assets estimated near $300 billion, plays a key role in the partnership [1, 2, 3].
In parallel with the partnership announcement, Abu Dhabi revealed a $15 billion pipeline to attract private funding for infrastructure, highlighting substantial opportunities in the region [2, 3, 4].
Jassem Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, CEO of L’IMAD, said, "Infrastructure forms one of the key pillars of our investment strategy, especially in markets where demand is underpinned by structural trends" [2]. Temasek’s Global Investments CEO Chia Song Hwee added, "The partnership also reflects continued global investor interest in the UAE and the wider region, as destinations for long-term capital, supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, a growing pipeline of investable opportunities and an increasingly mature investment landscape" [2].
The partnership emerges amid a challenging geopolitical environment, including the ongoing Iran war disrupting energy markets across the Gulf Cooperation Council region [2, 3, 4]. Related deals include an ongoing potential $7 billion stake sale of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation's crude oil pipeline network and an $11 billion Saudi Aramco-led infrastructure deal around the Jafurah gas project, spearheaded by GIP [2, 3, 4].
The consortium has set its sights on deploying capital across a broad range of infrastructure assets in the coming years, signaling active deal-making in the region’s energy and transport sectors. Abu Dhabi’s $15 billion private funding pipeline remains open this month, inviting further investments [2, 3, 4].
