An alternative model of infrastructure financing based on capital markets: Infrastructure REITS (InfraREITs) in Turkey

A sustainably higher GDP growth path is possible only through mobilizing adequate funds for investment in infrastructure. Capital markets can be used as an effective environment in mobilizing long-term investment funds to the infrastructure sector. Capital market funding motivates the participation of private sector in infrastructure projects and thus eases the constraints imposed by the public sector budget on infrastructure development and the burden on taxpayers. This equity-based model has no doubt gained prominence in the aftermaths of recent global financial crisis driven by excessive borrowing and leverage. This paper explores how Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in Turkey can be used as an equity finance vehicle to launch and operate infrastructure projects.