HSBC Middle East has said that project finance in the Gulf is returning to pre-crisis levels with a positive short-term outlook, Reuters has reported. “We are not yet back to previous levels but the project finance market is going to strength with 2010 and 2011 looking strong,” Michael Cooper, director of infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa region at HSBC, said at MEED’s Middle East Retail Banking 2010 conference. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman are the best markets for project financing, he said.