The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, supported by the European Union, is providing a JOD 10 million (US$ 14.1 million) loan to Aqaba Digital Hub as part of an effort to strengthen Jordan’s position as a regional digital hub. Capital Bank of Jordan, already a lender to the company, is participating as a parallel lender in the financing package.
The new funding will enable the expansion and fit-out of Aqaba Digital Hub’s existing data centre, including the completion of supplier commitments and the construction of a second data hall. The facility is the country’s largest Tier 3, carrier-neutral data centre and is a critical asset for hosting and supporting digital services in Jordan and the wider region.Alongside the loan, the project will receive technical assistance to support the establishment of the Aqaba Digital Academy.
The academy will offer specialised training in ICT and cybersecurity to meet rising market demand and will place strong emphasis on developing skills among women and young people. The goal is to broaden access to economic opportunities in Jordan’s fast-growing technology sector and ensure that more citizens can participate in the expanding digital economy.
The investment benefits from an EU first-loss guarantee under the EFSD+ Guarantee Digital Transformation Platform. It is aligned with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the Pact for the Mediterranean, both of which prioritise secure, resilient, and open digital infrastructure across the region. The project will also receive a grant from the EBRD’s Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change to help integrate green technologies into the data centre’s operations.
Aqaba Digital Hub is one of Jordan’s leading digital infrastructure groups, operating a data centre, fibre-optic networks, and subsea cables. Its platform brings together colocation and interconnection services and serves local, regional, and international clients. The site functions as a key landing point for a range of terrestrial and subsea cables linking Jordan with European and global networks.
Among its major assets is the Coral Bridge subsea cable, developed jointly with Telecom Egypt, which links Jordan to Africa and onward to Europe. Aqaba Digital Hub is also the landing station for the Blue Raman Subsea Cable System, built by an international consortium including Telecom Italia Sparkle, connecting Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
These systems are helping position Jordan as an important node for secure global connectivity.The financing agreement was signed in Jordan by the EBRD’s Head of the Eastern Mediterranean, Gretchen Biery; the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica; and Aqaba Digital Hub CEO Eyad Abu Khorma, in the presence of the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Zeina Toukan.Biery said the project reflects Aqaba’s growing importance in the region’s digital transformation and noted that the investment would expand critical digital infrastructure while promoting skills development and inclusive economic growth.
The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation expressed appreciation for the support from the EBRD and the EU, adding that the project aligns with Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision and reinforces Aqaba’s role as a regional connectivity corridor. Šuica described the hub’s expansion as a key step in strengthening digital ties between Europe, the Middle East, and India. Abu Khorma welcomed the partnership and said the investment would allow the company to support new Asia–Europe connectivity and build local talent for Jordan’s evolving technology sector.
The EBRD has been active in Jordan since 2012 and has provided more than €2.2 billion across 84 projects, most of them in the private sector. Its support has included financing for banks to extend loans, subordinated debt, and trade finance to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
The Pact for the Mediterranean, launched in 2025, places secure and trusted digital infrastructure at the centre of regional integration efforts, recognising the importance of data flows for economic and social development. EFSD+, established in 2021, provides EU partner countries with financing tools such as grants and guarantees to mobilise additional investment for sustainable development, with a total global guarantee capacity of €39.8 billion through 2027.
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