Client updates / Banking & Finance

In 2025, the Bank of Israel, the Ministry of Finance, and the Israel Securities Authority accelerated measures to significantly increase competition in the banking system. These included regulatory and legislative amendments, some of which are expected to come into effect in 2026.

On December 30, 2025, the Supervisor of Banks published Directive 412, aimed at instructing banking corporations on providing services to customers subject to international sanctions.

In August 2025, after receiving the recommendations of the Simhon Committee, the Bank of Israel published new guidelines for banking corporations. Banks providing financing for residential construction projects will now be prohibited from including stipulations in their financing agreements that relate to the price of an individual apartment.

After months of anticipation, NTA – Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd. finally released on November 10, 2025, the Invitation for Pre-Qualification (PQ 589/2025) for the Participation in Tenders for the Execution of Infra #1 Works of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Metro Lines.

On August 6, 2025, the interministerial team to increase competition in the retail banking sector (established by Israel’s Minister of Finance in collaboration with the Governor of the Bank of Israel) published its recommendations on the measures needed to increase competition in banking services.

When US President Donald Trump took office, it seemed the question of personal sanctions against extremist right-wingers in Israel was off the table. Indeed, in one of his first decisions, Trump lifted the sanctions imposed on a small number of Jewish settlers whom the United States had accused of committing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as on several extremist right-wing organizations.

The Israel Competition Authority (ICA) conducted a thorough investigation of the S. Schestowitz Group, an Israeli company in the food and consumer goods sector, due to suspicions the company operated a cartel in the food industry in violation of the Economic Competition Law and the Law for the Promotion of Competition in the Food and Pharmacy Industries.

Two key developments in the US mark a step toward stablecoin market institutionalization. the US Senate approved new legislation regulating activities in the market for the first time, and Circle – the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, launched an IPO on the NASDAQ.

The AI revolution in the Israeli capital market: The Israel Securities Authority allows financial institutions to use chatbots on their financial analyses platforms, but imposes clear rules and important restrictions on their use.

New provisions set out the licensing framework for the provision of payment services, designed to encourage new players to enter the Israeli market and offer payment services while providing broad protection to consumers. The law will apply to companies providing payment services, credit service providers, acquirers, and more.

The risk of money laundering is one of the main risks involved in using and trading cryptocurrencies. This amendment to Proper Conduct of Banking Business Directive 411 addresses how banks should manage money laundering and terror financing risks.

The Bank of Israel published its latest annual review at the end of May. The review includes an announcement by Supervisor of Banks Yair Avidan that he is promoting the formulation of updated comprehensive regulations on environmental risk management, considering the considerable importance he attributes to the subject of the environment.

Although Israel is a world leader in the fintech field, companies operating in this area face many regulatory challenges. A newly published legal memorandum aims to enable the creation of a “sandbox”, with inspiration from various programs already implemented in Japan, Australia, and Singapore. The goal is to establish a unique experimental environment, a “regulatory sandbox,” where regulatory relief is granted to companies who choose to participate in the program.

As part of a broad change led by the Ministry of Finance to increase competition in the banking and financial services market, a memorandum for the Provision of Financial Information Services Law was recently published for public comments.

How Israeli companies operating in the U.S. can use COVID-19 as a force majeure and the restructuring of debt in chapter 11 bankruptcy ?

Following a previous Israel Innovation Authority call for bids for companies developing technologies to help deal with the coronavirus crisis, the IIA has opened a channel to support companies facing financial hardships due to the virus.

The Bank of Israel recently led several important developments in the Israeli payments market, which are designed to encourage competition and to advance the implementation of innovative technologies.

Bank of Israel published a position paper with respect to the activity of banks’ payment apps in the B2C market. The position paper is the conclusion of a long battle waged by credit card companies against the banks.

The Tel Aviv District Court issued a ruling recently on a case concerning a bank’s conduct with funds whose source is digital currencies. The court expressly ruled that the bank’s blanket ban on the opening of bank accounts by clients engaging in digital currency activity is unreasonable.

This month, an Israeli district court deliberated a motion for an interlocutory order against Bank Hapoalim. The order would obligate the bank to accept the transfer into a customer’s account of money that constituted proceeds from a sale of digital coins transacted outside of Israel.