Even as geopolitical tensions escalate across the Middle East, global banking giant HSBC has publicly reaffirmed its confidence in the long-term economic strength of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies, signalling that international financial institutions are not retreating from the region despite the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. The statement comes at a time when markets worldwide have been rattled by military strikes, energy supply disruptions and fears of wider regional escalation that could affect global trade routes and oil markets.
