QNB Accelerates Financing for International AI, Digital Infrastructure in Q3 2026

QNB Group, a leading financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, strengthened its role in cross-border financing during the third quarter of 2026, supporting major investments in AI and digital infrastructure.

The quarter’s activity demonstrated the Group’s ability to mobilise international capital through collaboration between its teams, with financing spanning technology infrastructure in Asia and Europe, sovereign funding in the Middle East and business growth in Africa.

QNB Group Chief Executive Officer Abdulla Mubarak Al Khalifa said, “The AI age represents an economic paradigm shift. The necessary investment in AI and digital infrastructure relies on scalable and sustainable funding sources. QNB has the cross-border capacity to support this revolution and drive economic competitiveness. Delivering this investment requires more than capital: it requires financial institutions that understand local conditions and can structure financing, mobilise lenders and coordinate execution across borders.

“For QNB, the strength of our international network lies in our ability to bring these capabilities together around our clients’ needs.

 As investment connects more markets and sectors, we see a clear opportunity to deepen our role in financing the infrastructure and businesses that will drive long-term growth. Our activity this quarter demonstrates how we are translating that opportunity into practical support for clients.”

The Group’s capital markets capabilities were also demonstrated through its subsidiary, QNB Capital, which acted as a global coordinator on Qatar’s $3 billion dual-tranche bond issuance. The issuance attracted orders exceeding $6 billion, more than twice the amount issued, underscoring strong international investor demand and QNB Capital’s role in connecting sovereign financing needs with global capital markets.

QNB’s teams in Singapore and Indonesia collaborated on a senior term loan facility of up to $3.1 billion for ZanKore’s AI Compute Platform. Acting alongside other international banks as a Senior Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter and Bookrunner, QNB supported financing for NVIDIA-powered AI and GPU cloud infrastructure.

That collaboration also extended to Europe, where QNB London worked with teams in Paris and Singapore on refinancing six hyperscale data centres in Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris, sponsored by Equinix and GIC. QNB London acted as Underwriter, Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunner, supporting infrastructure that provides large-scale computing capacity for global technology companies.

Complementing these investments in computing capacity, QNB Indonesia acted as Lead Arranger for a syndicated term loan facility equivalent to approximately $590 million for PT Nusantara Fiber Teknologi. The financing supported the acquisition and integration of approximately 86,000 kilometres of fibre optic network, an essential component of the connectivity underpinning digital services.

These transactions illustrate how QNB’s international network supports different layers of digital infrastructure, from AI computing and data centres to the fibre networks that connect businesses and customers.

Beyond digital infrastructure, the Group took leading roles in financing real estate and broader business investment. In Singapore, QNB acted as a core underwriting bank and global coordinator for ESR’s five-year refinancing facility, which increased beyond its initial $2 billion target following strong lender demand. This was QNB Singapore’s first global coordinator mandate, demonstrating its growing capacity to bring international lenders together.

In Europe, QNB London secured its first underwriting mandate with Brookfield, acting as mandated lead arranger and bookrunner on senior financing equivalent to approximately $584 million for Hibernia Real Estate Group’s portfolio in Dublin. In Turkiye, QNB leasing secured syndicated financing exceeding $117 million equivalent from international commercial banks, diversifying its funding sources.

The Group’s financing activity also supported smaller businesses and economic development in Africa. In Tunisia, QNB contributed 33 percent of a syndicated financing facility for Advans Tunisia, expanding funding available to SMEs. In Egypt, it arranged financing for the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport’s new international school campus in Alexandria. It also worked with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the SME Champions Programme.

Alongside its financing activity, QNB continued to improve access to payments and everyday banking services. In Syria, QNB Syria enabled an international Mastercard payment through its point-of-sale infrastructure for the first time in more than 15 years. It issued the country’s first internationally accepted payment card in collaboration with Mastercard, extending access to international payments for local customers.

QNB Turkiye introduced its Mobile Debt Transfer Loan, allowing eligible customers to apply digitally to consolidate debts held with other banks. These developments complemented the Group’s broader focus on financial connectivity by making services more accessible and practical for customers and businesses.