Banking & Finance

The department’s team brings to bear broad legal understanding of banking and financing – characterized by an extremely complicated regulatory interface – coupled with unique understanding of complex financial instruments. The team has vast and unique experience in representing Israeli and foreign banks, credit companies, insurance and communications companies, oil and gas corporations, real estate developers, investors and others. The department’s team advises various entities in complex transactions, in the creation of new banking infrastructures and in the regulatory interface with the authorities. In addition, the department has unique expertise in the field of project financing, mainly in the oil and gas industry, with the international regulatory rules for derivatives transactions (ISDA) and with additional standards for international and domestic credit.

Our firm’s finance and banking department provides a wide variety of services with regards to financial regulation and representation in financing transactions of banks, financial entities and private entities.

Among the services provided by the department’s team:

• Domestic and international financing transactions – transactions in the fields of project financing, financing means of control, real estate financing as well as hedging transactions. We advise companies with respect to analyzing needs and assist in deciding on the appropriate form of financing for the organization.
• Banking and financial regulation, including drafting opinions, licensing procedures and ongoing consultation, while working regularly and closely with the Bank of Israel, the Capital Market Authority and the Israel Securities Authority.
• Representation of a variety of fintech companies – acting on incorporation, licensing processes, assistance in designing the activity and establishing infrastructures, equity and debt financing, and strategic collaborations.
• Representation in transactions with the Bank of Israel – representation of three banks in obtaining financing from the Bank of Israel against the encumbrance of a mortgage portfolio in sums exceeding ILS 20 billion.
• Credit insurance:
  • Exclusive legal counsel to ICIC.
  • Representation of banks and reinsurers in international credit insurance agreements.
• Derivatives transactions – Representation of a variety of insurance companies and public companies in hedging transactions (ISDA).
• Preparation of financing frameworks – preparation of agreement structures for various entities.

We represent the leading banks in Israel as well as foreign banks, credit companies, insurance and communications companies, institutional investors and credit funds, oil and gas corporations, real estate developers, investors and many others.

The department is led by Yona Goshen-Gottstein, who previously held a variety of senior positions in the banking sector, including vice president and director of the central services division and chief risk manager at UBANK, head of the legal department at the Bank of Jerusalem, and general counsel of the First International Bank of Israel.