Infrastructure remains in place – but in 2026, speed, depth and filters will once again become significantly more important in the investment decisions of institutional investors.
Institutional building block in real asset investment
Infrastructure has become an increasingly relevant component of real asset investment by institutional investors. The driver of this development is its growing institutional usability. This has not only broadened market participation, but above all driven forward the professionalization of decision-making processes. Discussions with investors, managers and service providers show that infrastructure is strategically set, but that individual investments are examined much more intensively than a few years ago.
This is less about a reassessment of the asset class than about a shift in pace, depth and filters. Decisions take longer, analyses go deeper, and the hurdles for commitment are more clearly defined. Infrastructure has become institutionally usable – and is therefore treated more strictly.
From allocation decision to implementation reality
The strategic allocation has been decided in many hospitals. However, operational implementation today requires greater persuasiveness of individual transactions. The bottleneck does not lie in the fundamental will to invest, but in the question of whether the structure, cash flow profile and governance of a specific asset can withstand the increased requirements.
Investors accept less implicit assumptions. Revenue mechanics, regulatory stability, refinancing capacity and potential reinvestment needs are addressed more explicitly. What used to be assumed by assumptions is now questioned more deeply.
More differentiation within the infrastructure
This development is leading to greater segmentation within the asset class. Infrastructure is not assessed across the board, but according to its respective structure. Regulatory-oriented, cash-flow-stable assets remain in demand, while more complex revenue models, higher merchant exposures or reinvestment cycles that are difficult to calculate are being discussed more intensively.
This is not about a fundamental rejection of merchant exposure, but about a clear understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with it – and the question of whether these are appropriately priced and embedded in the structure in a way that makes sense for the investor.
Speed, Depth and Filters as New Decision Logic
The changed decision-making logic can be described along three dimensions:
- Pace: Investment processes take longer as more scenarios and dependencies are examined.
- Depth: Analytics are more into operational, regulatory, and financial details.
- Filters: Not every investment that fits strategically automatically meets the implementation requirements.
A key driver of this development is the limited governance capacity on the investor side. Infrastructure requires ongoing control, decision-making skills and resources. Many investors are therefore prioritizing more strongly which investments they can and want to accompany.
The consequence is a more conscious selection and a reduction of parallel implementations in favor of higher quality of individual engagements. Quantity takes a back seat to consistency and controllability.
For 2026, it is becoming apparent that infrastructure will be used even more selectively and structurally oriented. Investments are likely to take place where cash flows, governance and long-term investment logics come together in a comprehensible way. Infrastructure as an asset class has matured into an institutional building block – and must therefore also be taken seriously institutionally in terms of structure and processes.
📌 Result:
- Infrastructure is strategically established.
- Investment decisions follow a new logic of speed, depth and filters.
- Selection takes place within the asset class, not against it.
- Merchant exposure is not an exclusion criterion, but it requires transparent risk allocation, adequate pricing and clean contractual hedging.
- Governance and reinvestment issues are key decision-making criteria.
