“Our aim is to deliver immediate relief by leveraging our active portfolio, our crisis response toolkit, and pre-arranged financing facilities. We will transition progressively to fast-disbursing instruments anchored in sound policies to underpin recovery.” reads the World Bank statement.
The World Bank Group says it is working with governments, the private sector, regional partners, and other stakeholders to help them navigate through the challenges which have arisen from the Middle East conflict.
As of March 2026, the Middle East is experiencing a severe, widening conflict involving direct hostilities between Israel, the U.S., and Iran, following joint strikes on Iran on February 28.
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A statement from the bank indicates that a number of its clients in emerging markets have reached out to it as the war has started to impact commodity prices and logistics.
It states that it’s closely monitoring global market developments, and is in direct contact with the most affected client countries to understand what they are facing on the ground.
Among others, the statement notes that shipping route disruptions are increasing costs, and supply risks are spreading from energy into fertilizers and other critical agricultural inputs.
In Malawi, the price of gas rose from K3, 740 to K4, 475 in March this year representing a 19.65 percent increment.
Globally, crude oil prices increased by nearly 40 percent between February and March, while the price of liquefied natural gas shipments to Asia rose by almost two-thirds, and the prices of nitrogen-based fertilizers increased by nearly 50 percent in March.
“The World Bank Group is moving quickly to help client countries to navigate this crisis. We are ready to respond at scale — combining immediate financial relief with policy expertise and private sector support for the recovery of jobs and growth. We will draw on the full range of instruments we have available to support governments, firms, and households.
“Our aim is to deliver immediate relief by leveraging our active portfolio, our crisis response toolkit, and pre-arranged financing facilities. We will transition progressively to fast-disbursing instruments anchored in sound policies to underpin recovery. Through our private sector arms, we will provide firms with essential liquidity, trade finance, and working capital” reads the statement.
The Bretton-woods institute acknowledges this as an evolving situation and it cannot predict the full range of impacts noting that the longer this lasts, and the more damage there is to critical infrastructure, the more challenging this will be for clients.
The Bank also spoke of its determination to be helpful and do all it can to safeguard some of the hard-won economic progress that these countries are making.
The Israel-Iran conflict escalated significantly after 28 February 2026, when U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeted sites across Iran, leading to casualties and severe regional instability.
Hundreds of deaths have been reported in Iran and Lebanon, causing massive displacement and damage to medical infrastructure and oil prices has risen due to threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.