Regulation

Our firm provides legal advice on various regulatory issues which may arise in the course of commercial engagements, corporate transactions or ongoing business operations in Israel.

Financial Services and Capital Markets Regulation

One of our firm’s most prominent regulatory practice is in the capital markets field, providing counsel on the full range of financial services corporate and regulatory matters, focusing on the regulation of financial institutions, such as Israeli banks, insurance companies, pension and provident funds, mutual funds, investment houses, insurance agencies, portfolio management companies and stock exchange members.

The firm’s Financial Services and Capital Markets Regulation team has vast experience in a wide variety of complex local and cross-border M&A transactions, involving financial and institutional bodies, often called to represent acquirers, bidders and controlling shareholders by providing strategic transactional and regulatory compliance advice in an ever-changing regulatory climate, mainly with respect to issues of seeking control and holding permits as well as other transaction related regulatory approvals.

We regularly represent our clients before the applicable Israeli Governmental authorities, including the Bank of Israel, the Ministry of Finance, the Commissioner of Capital Markets, Insurance and Savings, the Israel Securities Authority, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and other regulatory agencies.

Governmental Incentive Plan Regulation

EBN’s Governmental Incentive Plans regulatory practice has a vast experience in advising clients with respect to a variety of governmental incentive plans and programs which are financed by the State of Israel via the Israel Innovation Authority (formerly known as the Office of Chief Scientist), Israel Investment Authority (formerly known as the Israel Investment Center) and other governmental entities, such as the technological incubators program, grants to Approved Enterprises and Tnufa program.

We represent clients in a variety of matters relating to governmental grants:

• Assisting clients to apply and obtain the Israel Innovation Authority grants for research and development purposes.
• Ongoing legal advice to technological incubators, from formation and applying to tenders of the Israel Innovation Authority, through ongoing operation of the technological incubator and investments in portfolio companies.
• Representation of “Project Companies” which apply for governmental grants through the technological incubators program, including after the end of the incubation period.
• Compliance of clients with the Encouragement of Industrial Research and Development Law, 1984 (the R&D Law) and with the provisions and procedures of the Israel Innovation Authority.
• Transfer of know-how and technology funded by governmental grants in Israel and abroad.
• Due diligence reviews and compliance with regulations in the context of M&A transactions.

• Representation of Sirius International Insurance Group, in a regulatory process and applying for control permits in connection with the acquisition of shares of The Phoenix Holdings, from its controlling shareholder Delek Holdings, in a transaction valued at NIS 4.8 billion.
• Representation of Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, Israel’s third largest bank by assets, in a contemplated NIS 1.4 billion merger with Union Bank of Israel, Israel’s sixth largest bank, in a complex and highly regulated transaction which is rare and almost unprecedented in the local Israeli market.
• Representation of XIO Group, in its proposed acquisition of Meitav Dash, a leading Israeli investment house, for NIS 1.8 Billion.
• Representation of Apax Partners in the acquisition of approximately 76% of Psagot Investment House from York Capital in exchange for over NIS 2.35 billion (US $622 million).