Category: Finance

Digital credit has been on the scene in Cote d’Ivoire since 2018, but until last year, little was known about how digital credit is used in the country and what risks it presents to users. In 2022, as part of the WAEMU DFS Consumer Protection Lab, CGAP conducted a nationally representative phone survey with digital […]

Life insurance provides financial protection to individuals and their loved ones in the event of unexpected circumstances. One key aspect to consider when choosing a life insurance policy is whether it generates immediate cash value. In this article, we will explore different types of life insurance policies and discuss which ones offer the benefit of […]

Chief Innovation Scientist and chair of the Israel Innovation Authority Ami Appelbaum has stated that with the funding they received in the latest state budget, the IIA will have difficulty supporting start-up companies. Appelbaum finishes his position at the end of the year, but warns about the ability of the IIA to support local hi-tech. […]

The PayBox application announced, on Monday, that it will pay its customers from all banks an annual interest of 3% on the balance in the app. The new service is a significantly better alternative for over NIS 500 billion that are currently “lying around” in bank checking accounts, on which the public receives no interest […]

ONE ZERO Bank, one of Israel’s most recently-founded banks, is pushing to revolutionize the Israeli banking industry with a pioneering pilot program which aims to implement a chat platform powered by Generative AI, utilizing Large Language Model technology developed by the Israel-based tech company AI21 Labs. This partnership marks a milestone for Israeli banking and […]

Development funders play an important role in advancing inclusive finance: with around 3,000 active projects and total commitments of more than USD 45 billion, they influence the dynamics of financial systems and help transform the way these systems work to include and serve people living in poverty. Because financial systems are constantly evolving, however, funders […]

The Israel Tax Authority (ITA) has issued instructions for the non-taxation of SAFEs (Simple Agreement For Future Equity). A SAFE has become a popular way of financing hi-tech start-ups in recent years, so non-taxation is nice. The instructions weren’t passed by the Knesset, but were issued in a letter of May 16, 2023 from the […]

Israeli investment fund NewVest on May 8 raised $220 million in funds for its new Private Debt 50 index fund. Prominent Israeli investors in the fund include Bank Hapoalim and Bar-Ilan University. Other investors, founders and managers from the global private fund management industry such as Yuval Cohen, founder and managing partner of Fortissimo Fund; […]

Turkey’s lira tumbled on Wednesday to a fresh record low against the dollar as President Tayyip Erdogan prepared to decide the shape of his new cabinet and the direction of economic policy after an election triumph. Former economy chief Mehmet Simsek, who is highly regarded by financial markets for his orthodox policy credentials, is almost […]

A number of prominent Israeli investors suffered a loss of tens of millions of shekels due to their failed investment about a year ago in Bank Leumi’s shares. In June 2022, the bank raised NIS 2.75 billion in a private offering for some of its shares. The most prominent private investor was Aaron Frankel, who […]