Latest Updates

January 13, 2025

ISA Issues Draft Rules on Licensing Exemptions for Payment Services

Recently, the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) published draft rules regulating entities’ notice of exemption from the obligation to obtain a license to provide payment or payment initiation services.

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December 25, 2024

Applicability of Payment Services and Initiation of Payment Law in Trust Frameworks

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December 2, 2024

"Buy-Sell" Model (Reseller) Activity Exempt from Payment Services Licensing

The Israel Securities Authority recently published a staff legal position addressing the licensing requirements for businesses operating in the "Buy and Sell" or "Reseller" model in online marketplaces.

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November 20, 2024

Licensing and Supervision of Broker-Dealers: Key Points of the New Memorandum of Law

In October of this year, the Israel Securities Authority published a memorandum of law aimed at regulating broker-dealer activities in Israel. Public comments will be accepted until 21/11/24.

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October 15, 2024

New Court Ruling Clarifies Legal Boundaries for Offering of Foreign Investments in Israel

The Tel Aviv District Court handed down an important ruling recently regulating the activities of entities distributing alternative investments in Israel. In many instances, the distribution activities are accompanied by conversations and correspondence with potential investors, which constitute investment advice, and this is where matters become complicated.

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October 9, 2024

Understanding DORA: An Overview of the Digital Operational Resilience Act

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is an EU regulatory framework, aimed at enhancing the financial sector’s ability to withstand and recover from ICT (information and communication technology) disruptions.

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September 22, 2024

Important updates on the Israeli money market reform

The Israel Securities Authority has published several additional revisions to the Israeli money market reform since the Knesset approved legislative amendments designed to promote competition in the money market, and since the draft directives and rules were published approximately two months ago. The money market reform relates to money market mutual funds, deposits and government bonds (short-term loans maturing in no more than one year).

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August 14, 2024

Israeli Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority Issues New and Revised Circulars

This year, the Israeli Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority issued a series of new and revised circulars regarding proper management and corporate responsibility by financial service providers.

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August 4, 2024

Israel’s Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority Updates List of At-Risk Countries of the FATF

Following the Financial Action Task Force’s announcements, the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority published a list of countries and jurisdictions at high risk of money laundering, terror financing, and proliferation financing.

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July 30, 2024

Israel: Opening Access to Payment Systems and Allocation of Identification Codes to Payment Service Providers

The Bank of Israel’s Payment Systems Oversight Division recently published an access guide to supervised payment systems for Israeli and foreign applicants.

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July 14, 2024

Israel: Regulation of Payment Services Law Comes into Effect

When the law came into effect last month, the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee prescribed an important series of exemptions from licensing requirements and updated timetables for submitting license applications in particular instances.

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May 17, 2023

Investment Advice and New Technologies: Amendment to Israeli Directive

In order to contend with the meager supply of investment advice or portfolio management services via technological interfaces, the Israel Securities Authority has published a proposed amendment to the directive focusing on two main services: trading signal services and social trading. Both of these services rely on digital media.

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December 19, 2022

Can DeFi Use Exempt a Project from Compliance?

Activity in the form of financial decentralization (Decentralized Finance - DeFi) does not exempt from requirements in the field of prevention of money laundering prohibition or compliance with sanctions. It turns out that DeFi is subject to the same "laws of gravity" as projects in the traditional financial industry.

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December 13, 2022

ISA – New Obligations for Foreign Brokerage Service Providers

The Israel Securities Authority’s (ISA) new draft amendment to the general permit to offer foreign brokerage services in Israel proposes to obligate permit holders to supervise the activities of marketers on their behalf. For example, permit holders must carry out due diligence examinations of marketers.

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November 3, 2022

New Draft Regulation on Financial Asset Service Providers

The Israeli CMISA published two draft circulars about its intent to tighten the supervision over crypto assets, in the wake of the Celsius crypto meltdown.

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March 8, 2022

Foreign Funds from Additional Stock Exchanges May Dual List on the TASE

Until now, only foreign funds from a limited number of foreign exchanges have been able to register for trading in Israel. A Ministry of Finance amendment to the relevant regulations seeks to change this.

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January 11, 2022

Regulating Israeli Banks’ Provision of Services to Licensed Cryptocurrency Service-Providers

The Bank of Israel is proposing to regulate the provision of services to licensed cryptocurrency service-providers so that banks will not be able to sweepingly refuse to provide service and will have to formulate a risk management policy.

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December 12, 2021

Do You Own Crypto? AML Order Also Applies to Digital Currencies

For the first time, companies providing virtual currency services will be required to comply with Israeli anti-money laundering provisions. This follows an amendment to the Prohibition of Money Laundering Order that recently came into effect. The amendment will apply to financial asset service providers obligated to hold a license under the Control of Financial Services Law.

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January 25, 2021

Israel Securities Authority: Tokens May Be Classified as Securities

The Israel Securities Authority recently established guidelines on when a cryptographic currency (token) is considered a security. The ISA determined that Kirobo tokens meet the definition of a security. This is primarily because the The Israel Securities believes investors would intend to purchase the tokens for financial purposes. In addition, these investors would anticipate their holdings to go up in value.

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February 2, 2020

Israel Securities Authority Promotes the Assimilation of Technological Innovation into the Israeli Capital Market

The ISA's commission for examining the regulation necessary for the advancement of digital markets published a report that focuses on platforms for the issuing, trading, and clearing of securities that make use of blockchain technology.

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