The prospect of prolonged lower hydrocarbon and commodity prices has forced many countries to reconsider both fiscal policy and sovereign wealth fund asset allocation to address possible liquidity needs. In order to analyze the diversity and effectiveness of public investment vehicles it is necessary to recognize that a sovereign wealth fund is a genre of state investment. As a type of state investor sovereign wealth funds sit within an institutional continuum that includes many other bodies, such as national development banks. Well-functioning operating and governance models have evolved among large-scale private equity investors and components of these are suited to government application.

Competitive branding between Bahrain, Qatar and UAE has occurred on different levels of investment through the medium of the Gulf State Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs). This has happened across a number of sectors: oil and gas, finance, real estate, automotive and entertainment, but Vision 2030 for the three states gives a sense of duplicating strategies. As they aim to diversify their economies and create jobs, they have also duplicated efforts, perhaps leading to a misallocation of resources. Does the Gulf really need three or four financial hubs? If it does, then theoretically – ceteris paribus – for all of them to function and thrive, there should be a high level of specialisation to avoid cannibalisation. In order to accumulate assets for future generations of their citizens the Gulf State SWFs need to coordinate efforts.