Insights & News / Zvi Gabbay

We recently lectured as part of BDO Academy’s course on virtual currencies and blockchain. The course is intended for managers and executives, directors, institutional investors, investment managers, and analysts. The lecture focused on the development of regulation in Israel and globally.

As part of our cooperation with BDO Academy, we were invited to lecture on topics such as the role of the corporate secretariat, its importance to the organization, getting to know board directors, case law analysis, and corporate governance.

We were pleased to host the Israel Investor Relations Forum’s conference on the future of stock market trading. A one-on-one conversation was held between Micah Stocks, a financial YouTuber who presents stock market news, and Rami Rozen, Director of Investor Relations at AppsFlyer and a member of the IIRF’s regulatory committee. Dr. Zvi Gabbay, the head of our firm’s Capital Markets Department, also spoke.

During a lecture at Reichman University, we offered insights into the convergence of regulatory frameworks and fintech verticals, shedding light on how to navigate and comply with evolving regulatory conditions.

Together with the Israel Hedge Funds Association, we hosted a webinar on the key points to be included in agreements with brokers.

We were interviewed by Finance Magnates, where we strongly criticized the US Securities and Exchange Commission's current strategy toward the cryptocurrency market. This criticism comes in the wake of the SEC's aggressive legal actions against major players such as Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance.

Zvi is among an exclusive list of lawyers nominated for the Lexology 2024 Client Choice Awards. Zvi is the only Israeli lawyer recognized in the Blockchain field.

We were interviewed by Mako following a US study that revealed an unusual volume of transactions on the New York and Tel Aviv stock exchanges betting on a collapse of the Israeli stock market in the week preceding Hamas’s October 7th attack.

Our firm hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel on the issue of compliance during wartime. As part of the webinar, we emphasized the compliance actions required during wartime by offering comparisons to other recent global war zones.

Together with the Israeli Association of Corporate Counsel, we held a webinar on compliance that included a lecture entitled, “What Do Regulators Want to See? Training and Implementation of Compliance Procedures.”

We were interviewed by Globes on PayPal’s decision to launch a stablecoin backed by the US dollar.

We were invited to lecture at the Association of Publicly Traded Companies’ annual economic conference, where we discussed the ruling in Inbar v. Ofir Naor, the liquidator of IDB Development Corp., and the lessons corporate counsel should draw from it regarding the provision of legal representation to directors, especially those of a public company.

We were interviewed by TheMarker about how the regulation of crowdfunding can help investors.

Our firm hosted a morning workshop of experts from the ESG and sustainability field. Dr. Zvi Gabbay lectured on the legal angle of ESG. Michal Weiss, the ESG manager at Doral, discussed how to undertake ESG activities within an organization. Hagit Genish Gil lectured on how to make ESG activity suitable for a large organization. Michal Gat, the CEO of Titan, closed the event with a lecture on how to build a branding story that is right for a company’s activities.

BlackRock, the world's biggest asset management company, has announced the launch of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. This has led to Bitcoin hitting a more than one-year high. We explain the rationale behind BlackRock's move in an interview with Globes.

The Arrangements Law for 2023-2024 makes extensive reference to expanding and creating a regulatory infrastructure in the digital assets field. Specifically, the Israeli government refers to regulation in a number of different areas, including the cryptocurrencies market. See more in an article for Calcalist.

Our firm held a webinar for members of GCs for GCs, in which we presented the existing regulation in Israel in the field of ESG and the trends in the US and Europe. The webinar also addressed ESG risk management in an environmental context.

We are honored to have guided Djed in its successful launch. Djed is a new stablecoin designed to maintain a stable value pegged to the US dollar. It provides its users with a decentralized and secure store of value and facilitates seamless transactions on the Cardano blockchain.

The firm participated in the Israeli compliance community’s annual conference for 2023, joining a panel discussion with Hani Amar, a partner at BDO in the corporate governance and regulation division, and Adv. Ariel Sagi, a compliance officer and board member at Rafael.

We participated in an episode of the podcast hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsels in Israel, which focused on tools for dealing with administrative enforcement.

Following the collapse of FTX, several lawsuits were filed against the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, which had entered into cooperation agreements with the now-defunct crypto company. In an interview with Finance Magnates, we noted that the plaintiffs must present at least preliminary evidence that the basketball team knew, or should have known, of FTX’s wrongdoing. 

We were guest lecturers in a webinar hosted by the Israeli Association of Publicly Traded Companies' Legal Counsel Forum, where we addressed the do's and don'ts of administrative enforcement proceedings.

Yesterday, Dr. Zvi Gabbay, the head of our firm’s Capital Market Department, lectured for compliance officers at BDO’s financial academy. Zvi’s lecture focused on internal enforcement, which can significantly mitigate corporations’ exposure to enforcement proceedings being instituted by regulatory authorities, significantly reduce the pecuniary sanctions that might be imposed in respect of violations, and contribute to a corporation’s good reputation for maintaining a culture of compliance and integrity.

USD 1.5 million fines, preliminary administrative proceedings, dramatic resignations—growing enforcement on ESG issues is becoming a bigger trend. Who should be preparing for this change and how will it affect Israeli companies?

An article co-written by Dr. Zvi Gabbay, head of our firm's Capital Markets Department, will be featured in the next volume of Reichman University's "Law and Business" journal. The article deals with requests for early disclosure of documents under the Companies Law and how Israeli courts examine such requests, in a way that often misses the purposes of the request and sterilizes it from its content

Our firm hosted Zvi Rabin and members of the Investor Relations Forum to discuss insider trading. We lectured on the characteristics of the crime, how the Israel Securities Authority handles such offenses, and the importance of obtaining professional legal assistance.

As part of the compliance forum our office leads, in collaboration with the ACC and Tali Guy, Teva's VP of Compliance, we hosted a meeting of legal counsels. We lectured on ESG’s implications for the compliance field and how companies should prepare for future regulations.

Our firm participated in a "Zichlinskey Hosts" meeting held by SRI Global Group together with the Israel Directors Union.

A new op-ed in Globes comments on a statement made by a senior official at the Israel Securities Authority regarding the applicability of securities regulation on various types of alternative investments.

A recent Globes op-ed addresses rising up to the blockchain challenge and who needs to make the next move.

We lectured today to members of the "Law and Environment" student club at Bar-Ilan University, addressing the practice of environmental law and analyzing precedent-setting judgments involving the environment.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak and the exacerbation of the climate crisis, ESG factors have increasingly influenced the profit line of businesses. The ESG Management Program at the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University, which will open in March 2022, will bring the most important aspects of ESG to those whose activities have an impact on the investment chain: executives, directors, investors, analysts, and public sector personnel. As part of the program, we will give a lecture entitled "Risks and Legal Responsibility - How ESG Becomes a Significant Part of the Duties of an Organization's Officers and What Happens When Neglected."

Our firm, in collaboration with the Public Companies Forum of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel, has launched a series of webinars on internal enforcement. Among the lectures in the series is "Prohibition on the Use of Insider Information, What an Internal Enforcement Plan Is, and How It Is Implemented in Organizations."

An op-ed in Globes addressing the current Knesset debate over the establishment of a new regulatory authority.

Several of Israel's leading lawyers in the field of white-collar crime and criminal law were interviewed by Calcalist, including experts from our firm. We addressed the core issues of the field and the impact of COVID-19, along with a forecast for several ongoing major cases.

The volume of real estate transactions incorporating digital currencies is expected to grow in the coming years, especially among young, wealthy, tech-savvy professionals. We were interviewed by Globes on the trend, noting the regulatory challenges that exist in these types of transactions.

The Compliance Forum of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel hosted a webinar this morning on the responsibilities of compliance officers in organizations. As part of the webinar, we discussed new trends and developments, as well as the normative basis for imposing personal responsibility on compliance officers in organizations.

The Israel Hedge Funds Association (IHFA) is hosting the webinar "Contacting Investors – Do's and Don'ts." As part of the webinar, we will discuss the legal infrastructure required for reaching out to investors.

We are proud to serve as the legal partner of the Environmental Law Club of Bar-Ilan University. Our firm will be presented as part of the launch event taking place on June 15, 2021.

The growing wave of IPOs on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is pushing an overwhelming number of private companies to consider going public. In an interview with the TheMarker on the trend, we explain how companies considering an IPO must behave with both the public and regulatory authorities to succeed.

Globes has dedicated its Real Estate Supplement for Israel's Independence Day to real estate innovation. We were asked to publish a guest column discussing the implementation of blockchain technology that enables the registration and performance of digital operations through a distributed network of computers in the real estate field. We noted that once land registration is also based on blockchain, buyers will be able to purchase real estate property and take out a mortgage in exactly the same way online purchases are made today.

As part of the ACC Compliance Forum we lead, we will host a webinar tomorrow on the supervision and control procedures within organizations. We will discuss the theoretical aspects and challenges in the field, followed by an expert panel.

The Rina and Meir Heth Center for the Study of Competition and Regulation at the College of Management is holding a webinar with former judges and legal experts entitled “10 Years of Administrative Enforcement in Israel.” We were invited to participate in the lawyers’ panel of experts, which will examine the impact of administrative enforcement tools on violations of Israeli law. 

Our firm organized a webinar for legal advisers and compliance officers, in partnership with the ACC. As part of the webinar, we lectured on the connection between ethics and obedience. Are they in competition or do they complement one another? 

We lectured today on the distribution and marketing of hedge funds as part of a virtual conference held in collaboration with the Israel Hedge Funds Association and the international law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman.

A number of US pharma companies have issued a joint statement promising not to shorten the process for developing a coronavirus vaccine or to prioritize narrow economic considerations over public health. This cooperation between competing companies challenges existing perceptions about the business sector and shows that sometimes public health is no less an important consideration. Is now the time for companies to value the public good and other relevant stakeholders over company shareholders? Read more in an op-ed in Globes.

In mid-September 2020, a series of articles were published by a group of foreign journalists, based on the collection and analysis of over 2,500 leaked documents from FinCEN, the US equivalent of the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority. The leak of such sensitive information may cause banks and financial institutions to think twice before reporting suspicious financial activity, which would be a mistake. Read more in an op-ed in Calcalist.

The Israel Investor Relations Forum of the Israeli Association of Publicly Traded Companies, in collaboration with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, has launched an investor relations course for executives from leading companies. Yesterday’s session focused on regulation, including the rules of the game and how to publicize announcements to international investors.

Dr. Zvi Gabbay’s lecture, entitled “Duty to Report – Practical Implications,” covered how regulation in both Israel and the US can affect a company.

As part of our legal counsel to the Israel Hedge Funds Association, we are proud to be involved in the IHFA's 8th Annual Conference. The theme of the conference is “It's A New World Out There – Hedge Funds Navigating COVID.”

As an expert in the compliance field, Zvi Gabbay was invited for the fourth straight year to lecture a compliance officer training course organized by the BDO Academy of Finance and MITIGATE. This unique practical course is geared to compliance officers in international financial organizations. During the lecture, Zvi discussed administrative enforcement and enforcement plans.

On June 2, we will host a webinar together with the ACC addressing the opportunity to upgrade the role of compliance officer in light of the coronavirus crisis. The webinar is geared for compliance officers and legal counsels.

On April 17, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its case against our client Amir Waldman. Waldman, the former vice president of Israel-based medical device company Syneron Medical Ltd., was alleged to have made USD 4.3 million via insider trading on an autonomous driving system technology developer. He will pay the SEC nearly USD 2.2 million to end a civil enforcement lawsuit, a New York federal district judge announced Friday. We commented on the decision as follows: "As in many cases, here too, a negotiation was being conducted at the same as we were preparing for trial, and it ultimately ended with an excellent result. This is a civil not a criminal case, and the arrangement, under which Amir does not admit or deny the facts, allows Amir to move on."

Together with Lior Segev, the co-founder and CEO of Liquant Asset Management, we hosted an online seminar for members of the Israel Hedge Funds Association on business continuity planning during the coronavirus.

Dr. Zvi Gabbay served as a panelist for the annual FOW event. The panel discussed the essentials for entrepreneurs entering the fintech market.

We participated today in a panel entitled "Regulations and Securities, Where Are We?" The panel was part of an event focused on 2020 predictions for the blockchain industry in Israel. Dozens of entrepreneurs and leading players from the local blockchain community attended.

An op-ed in TheMarker addresses how the Israel State Attorney's guideline on indicting and sanctioning corporations will guide the decision on the prosecution of Bezeq, Walla, and Yedioth Ahronoth.

We were invited to lecture at a directors' seminar hosted by Analyst Investment House, where we addressed administrative enforcement, the Israel Securities Authority's structure, and its enforcement system.

We were invited to lecture at a compliance conference organized by Discount Bank for all its compliance officers, trustees, board members, and management.

Our firm hosted the third meeting of the ACC Compliance Forum, which focuses on compliance during enforcement procedures. At the meeting, we welcomed Yehuda Shaffer, Deputy State Attorney (Financial Crimes).

Our firm hosted today a meetup for the Israeli fintech community in collaboration with Fintech Fever and the Singapore Fintech Association. We lectured on current regulation, as well as challenges and opportunities in the field.

Our firm hosted together with the crowdfunding platform Pipelbiz a meetup for real estate entrepreneurs. We lectured on raising capital for real estate projects through crowdfunding platforms, as well as real estate financing options, preconditions to raising money through a crowdfunding intermediary, and borrowing and investment disabilities.

Our firm hosted today ACC members for a seminar on money transfers. Dr. Zvi Gabbay reviewed the regulations and guidelines that exist today in Israel and around the world on the handling of money transfers. In addition, we conducted a panel discussion addressing the challenges and opportunities facing businesses who need to know how to solve problems that may arise. Participating in the panel were Anat Even-Chen, our regulation expert; Doron Cohen, CEO of Covercy; Idit Froim, General Counsel of Colu; Yitz Raab, Managing Partner of Tzur Management; Rami Sasson, Chief Compliance Officer of Discount Bank; and Ronen Siman-Tov, CTO of IBM Blockchain World Wire.

Zvi Gabbay lectured today before compliance officers at the BDO Finance Academy. The lecture dealt with the internal enforcement of securities laws, the enforcement revolution by the Israel Securities Authority, and the need to formulate an effective internal enforcement program.

Our firm continues to represent Amir Waldman, who was charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading in connection with Intel's acquisition of Mobileye. The proceedings are pending before a federal court in New York.

Dr. Zvi Gabbay lectured today on the risks of financial crime as part of a risk management course at the Israel Financial Institute.

Together with Clifford Chance, we held a workshop for compliance officers and risk management department staff at Discount Bank and Bank Leumi. The workshop included discussions on money laundering enforcement trends, banks' obligations, and how to manage risk and provide service.

Our firm hosted the Israel Hedge Funds Association today for a negotiation workshop. The workshop was held in collaboration with Moti Crystal, a crisis management expert. As part of the workshop, we presented common mistakes and the techniques for overcoming them in M&A transactions and disputes.

Dr. Zvi Gabbay was interviewed by TheMarker on the allegations that SodaStream's chairman, while serving as CEO, provided insider information about a deal with Pepsico to a former employee.

An op-ed in TheMarker discussing the market's need to share in enforcement efforts to help make internal enforcement one of the cornerstones of ISA policy.

The second meeting of the Compliance Forum, held in collaboration with the ACC, will focus on the basic principles and standards required for formulating an enforcement plan, the challenges of implementing such a plan, and how compliance officers should act.

Dr. Zvi Gabbay was interviewed by the radio station Kol Israel Reshet Bet on how to manage investment portfolios for friends and family. According to Zvi, capital market professionals must be careful, since managing an investment portfolio requires a license. Even when advising family and friends, professionals are subject to duties and may be exposed to risks and claims. (Starting at 03:10.)

An op-ed in Law360 discusses the SEC's treatment of two recent events—the federal suit against Kik Interactive and Facebook's announcement on the launch of a new digital currency.

Our firm hosted an event in cooperation with the Israeli Investor Relations Forum on investor relations and corporate responsibility. We lectured on how corporate responsibility is perceived by regulators.

Max, of Leumi Card, and Pipelbiz, the first and largest equity crowdfunding platform in Israel, have launched a new program for entrepreneurs. Program members include both fintech and insuretech startups. Our firm was chosen to serve as the initiative's legal partner. The startups recently visited our firm, where we lectured about crowdfunding regulation in Israel and abroad, as well as about challenges and opportunities in this field.

We led a panel on the subject of the legal advisor as a legal crisis facilitator at the annual conference of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel. Present at the conference were outgoing Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and other senior legal officials.

We conducted a negotiation workshop today for members of the Modi'in City Council, as part of the Open University's directors' course.

We lectured today to Modi'in City Council members on capital markets enforcement and the role of boards of directors in formulating an internal enforcement plan. The lecture was part of the Open University's directors' course.

We lectured today at the College of Law and Business on exposure to administrative and criminal liability.

We lectured today on regulation's impact as part of a new investor relations course. The course was launched by the Israeli Investor Relations Forum of the Association of Publicly Traded Companies in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

We participated in a panel discussion as part of a new investor relations course. The course was launched by the Israeli Investor Relations Forum of the Association of Publicly Traded Companies in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

We hosted the Israeli Directors' Union for a seminar on corporate finance, where we lectured on capital raising in the US and Israel.

Join Barnea and Baker Mckenzie for an expert discussion on how best to participate in blockchain/ICO technological innovation in light of the latest global regulatory trends.

An op-ed in Globes suggests that the Singaporean model of a blockchain integrated platform as a solution that does not require legislative changes. It argues this model could replace the stalled initiative of the ISA to establish a secondary stock exchange for small and medium-sized companies.

Barnea and Friedman Kaplan hosted a workshop for participants from the Israel Hedge Funds Association. We gave a lecture entitled "International Enforcement: Being in Israel Does Not Keep the SEC Away."

As counsel for one of the executives, we responded to Calcalist's questions.

Read an op-ed in Globes on the Nochi Dankner and Elon Musk affairs and the differences in enforcement culture between the American and Israeli systems.

Join Barnea and BCLP for a seminar on cross-border anti-corruption investigations.

An article in Globes about the changing financial regulation in the US around crypto coins.

We were interviewed by TheMarker on Bitcoin's energy consumption, noting that this is a meeting point between the real economy and the new economy that Bitcoin represents.

We were interviewed by the newspaper Israel Hayom and the radio station Kol Israel Reshet Bet following the Supreme Court's decision to increase the sentence of Israeli businessman Nochi Dankner. Dankner was previously convicted of securities fraud.

We lectured today to startups and VCs on the regulatory challenges faced by fintech companies.

We lectured at the Israel Hedge Funds Association's Sixth Annual Tel Aviv Conference. The goal of the event is to connect local industry with overseas peers, bringing together professional experts, manages, and investors. We discussed how fund managers can benefit from their relationship with the exchange.

We were interviewed by Bloomberg BNA regarding a new bill, according to which anyone who sells his apartment is entitled to open a special investment account that will benefit from deferring payment of tax on capital gains.

We attended the iFX Expo International Conference and participated in the panel on regulation, discussing MIFID II, ESMA restrictions, and the blockchain and cryptocurrency revolution.

We hosted, together with the Association of Corporate Counsel, a seminar on compliance and internal investigations. We discussed new regulatory challenges, while managing directors from Duff & Phelps addressed the changing compliance environment.

We lectured today on economic enforcement at the IZUN - Jewish and Arab Influential Directors program, part of Jasmine, a non-profit that promotes businesses owned by Jewish and Arab women.

Barnea and Nixon Peabody LLP hosted a roundtable discussion on the current enforcement environment, future trends, and strategies to succeed in the US while skirting legal and regulatory challenges.

With experts in the fintech industry, we were interviewed by TheMarker on the various regulatory barriers thwarting fintech's growth in Israel.

An op-ed in Calcalist on the role of the regulator in the virtual currencies market and why 2018 will be a turning point.

We were interviewed by Ynet News about the recent developments in the investigation against Bezeq.

Our firm was featured in a legal survey conducted by the Israeli Blockchain Association on current trends in blockchain in Israel.

An article in Financial Magnates discusses the Israel Securities Authority's approach to initial coin offerings (ICO) and cryptocurrencies and how this approach compares to other jurisdictions.

Our firm gave several media interviews following the Israel Securities Authority Chairman's remarks that companies whose values are based on bitcoin will not be included in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange's (TASE) indices until a suitable regulatory framework is established. We noted that it is important to distinguish between the inclusion of companies engaged in trading and investing in virtual currencies on TASE's indices and the possibility that such companies will actually be traded on TASE.

We took part in a conference hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors, where we addressed how internal investigations function as an essential tool in corporate governance.

Barnea hosted a seminar with the Israel Hedge Funds Association addressing the regulatory challenges when establishing and managing a hedge fund. Also as part of the seminar, a partner from Harneys, discussed establishing offshore hedge funds in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Barnea hosted, together with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and the Israel Builders Association, a seminar for real estate and infrastructure companies exploring a potential IPO. We discussed IPO from the perspective of a regulator.

We were interviewed on the TV program London et Kirshenbaum about the investigation against Bezeq, where we noted that the Israel Securities Authority has invested considerable efforts in completing the investigation quickly because of the case's broad public implications (starting from 05:40).

The Israeli CEO of a binary options company has been arrested by federal investigators in the United States on suspicion of committing electronic fraud. Dr. Zvi Gabbay, partner and head of our firm's Capital Markets Department, is representing the company in this matter. In an interview with TheMarker on the subject, he noted this is a relatively early stage in the legal process and that an indictment has not yet been filed.

We participated in the EY Anti-Fraud Forum, where we discussed how workers can take an active role in self-regulation and compliance.

An op-ed in The Marker on the regulation of digital currencies asserts that there will be no choice but to build a unique regulatory model that matches the characteristics of these new financial instruments.

Dr. Zvi Gabbay, head of the Capital Markets Department at our firm, was interviewed by Walla! about a criminal investigation opened against former Bank Leumi officials in a US tax fraud scandal. Zvi believes American investigators will work closely with Israeli investigators on this case, via the international legal aid apparatus at the Justice Ministry.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently filed a lawsuit in a US court against an Israeli citizen and an American citizen for the use of insider information to acquire shares and options at Mobileye. The lawsuit alleges that Mobileye's founders supplied information about the huge deal being forged between it and Intel. Our firm was interviewed by TheMarker about the lawsuit, and we noted the differences between the enforcement process in Israel and the US and the relationship between civil enforcement by the SEC and criminal enforcement by federal prosecution.

This article addresses the ruling handed down by the Israeli Supreme Court  at the end of December 2016 in the Bezeq case, in which the Court extended to board of director decisions the protection afforded by the business judgment rule. The article examines whether this ruling succeeded in achieving one of its principal objectives—legal certainty.

In cooperation with the Israeli Directors' Union, Barnea hosted a seminar on the challenges and risks in the functions of a board of directors. Micky Barnea, the firm's Managing Partner, discussed the risks in the functions of the board of directors, as well as corporate governance and enforcement programs.

We were interviewed on a financial radio program on the Public Broadcasting Corporation regarding the Bezeq investigation, where we provided an explanation of the Israel Securities Authority process (from 12.06).

We were interviewed on "Where Is the Money," a program on the 103FM radio station, following the investigation launched by the Israel Securities Authority against Bezeq, its controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch, and senior officers on suspicion of offenses under the Securities Law. We explained the meaning of related-party transactions in a company (from 11.38).

We were interviewed on a daily Channel 2 News program focusing on economic and consumer matters following the investigation opened by the Israel Securities Authority against Bezeq. During the interview, we explained the ISA's allegations and its reason for initiating the investigation.

We are participating today in a regulatory panel held as part of the IFX Expo Cyprus 2017. The panel will discuss recent decisions taken by key regulators, consider their implications, and seek to predict what the future may hold for the industry.

We published an op-ed on the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) decision to file a civil action in a federal court against two Israeli residents who traded in Mobileye stock and options before and after the announcement of its merger with Intel Corp. We noted that the SEC's case against the two Israelis, on suspicion of insider trading, is largely circumstantial.

We were interviewed by The Marker following the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's (HKSE) approval of Israel as an "acceptable jurisdiction." We noted that the HKSE’s approval is currently limited to Israeli public companies already listed on a foreign exchange and Israeli private companies seeking to list on the HKSE, and that it may also result in cost savings for such companies.

We lectured today on the Israel Securities Authority as part of the Israel Bar Association's training course for directors.

An op-ed in Financial Magnates following a new proposed bill to prohibit the management and operation of binary options trading platforms outside of Israel, even if regulated elsewhere.

We were interviewed by Globes following the exposure of bribery cases involving Israeli businessmen. We noted that Israel's prohibition on bribing a foreign public official is relatively new, whereas similar legislation was enacted in the United States as early as 1977, and that the US has encouraged other countries to adopt corresponding laws.

We participated in a panel discussion on administrative enforcement published in Haaretz's "Echad Haa'm," the magazine of the Public Companies Association. The panel addressed the implications of administrative enforcement for the market, as well as its impact on corporate governance standards and company conduct (pp. 16-21).

We interviewed by Globes after the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into a company affiliated with Teva. 

We took part in the annual Dun's 100-Globes Capital Markets Forum, along with industry executives, the banking sector, leading investment houses, and insurance groups.

We were interviewed by Globes following lawsuits filed in the United States accusing generic drug companies, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, of price fixing. We commented that Teva is exposed both to a criminal charges and civil proceedings, and may ultimately be required to reach a settlement in both matters. 

We were interviewed by several Israeli newspapers after Nochi Dankner was sentenced to two years' imprisonment following his conviction for stock manipulation. We noted that, unlike the verdict, which created the impression that Dankner would receive a harsher punishment, it appears that the District Court sought to impose a relatively lenient sentence that would nevertheless not prompt the prosecution to appeal.

We published a comparative review in Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law on the regulation of crowdfunding. The article examines how three jurisdictions—the United Kingdom, the United States, and Israel—have addressed the regulatory aspects of the equity crowdfunding sector, and compares the different approaches adopted by their regulators.

We represented D.G.I Media Ltd. in a precedent-setting administrative enforcement settlement with the Israel Securities Authority concerning forex trading.

Barnea represents iTrader, an online forex trading company, which is under investigation by the Israeli Securities Authority. Adv. Zohar Lande and Adv. Moran Bickel from the Litigation department were interviewed by The Marker and commented that they hope the investigation by the ISA, which focuses on the company's activities during the period in which it was entitled to act as a trading platform, will end soon.

We were interviewed by the Times of Israel about the growing interest of Israeli companies in listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). We noted that Australia is regarded as having a creative and sophisticated regulatory regime that strikes a good balance between investor protection and a pro-business approach that recognizes the risk of over-regulation.

Corporate Live Wire held a capital markets roundtable featuring experts from around the world, including representatives from our firm. The participants discussed recent regulatory changes, global economic risks, cybersecurity challenges, and trends in capital flows.

An op-ed in The Marker by lawyers from our Capital Markets Department argues that the harm caused by applying the regulatory regime for hedge funds far outweights any potential benefit and may even lead to the collapse of the entire industry.

We were interviewed by several media outlets following Nochi Dankner's conviction for securities fraud. Dankner, who formerly controlled the IDB Group, was one of the most powerful figures in the Israeli economy. We noted that the verdict and the extensive media coverage surrounding it significantly contribute to the deterrent effect of the Israel Securities Authority and the prosecutor’s office.

An article on the proposal to reconsider the Israel Securities Authority's activist regulatory model for public companies, allowing them to enjoy wider business and legal maneuvering room.

Following suspicions that Likud minister Haim Katz used insider information for financial gain, we were interviewed by the Reshet B radio station; At London & Kirshenbaum, a current affairs news show on Channel 10; and Globes. 

Our recently published article critiques the Israel Securities Authority's staff position outlining conduct that may be deemed trading fraud. It includes a brief comparative review showing that the staff position is problematic and does not provide clear guidance to market participants. The article further notes that similar position papers issued in other jurisdictions tend to set out general guiding principles rather than a detailed and specific list of acts said to constitute fraudulent trading.

An article examines the willingness of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) to enter into an enforcement agreement without requiring the violator to confess to the offense or assume responsibility for it. It further argues that the criteria applicable to administrative enforcement do not necessarily overlap with those governing criminal enforcement, and that no correlation between the two should be assumed. In addition, the article compares the enforcement agreement policies of the ISA and the United States. It concludes that enforcement agreements without an admission of liability are not inherently illegitimate, and that intervention in the ISA's discretion would be justified only where the enforcement agreement is fundamentally flawed.

An article discusses the need to examine corporate governance in substantive terms rather than solely through a procedural lens. It reviews the development of corporate governance in Israel from its adoption in the mid-2000s to the present, and outlines general principles for its future evolution while emphasizing the integration of substantive tests that would enable corporate governance to be implemented in an optimal manner.