Israel Financial News

Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies declined on Friday as escalating geopolitical tensions and concerns over US tariffs dampened investor appetite for risk. Global policymakers struck a cautious tone amid central bank meetings this week, highlighting economic and political uncertainty. The US Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, and Bank of England all kept interest rates unchanged, citing trade tensions and inflation risks.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Shardul Shah got the call he had been waiting for on his 37th birthday in January 2020. A promising Israeli cybersecurity founder that he had been asking for years to launch a company was in need of funding.

Federal Reserve's hint at rate cuts this year also fostered appeal.

No injuries were reported. The Houthis said they fired a ballistic missile at Israel's international airport, the second such attack since the United States began a new campaign of airstrikes against the rebels earlier this week. Over the decades, Israel has developed a sophisticated system capable of detecting incoming fire and deploying only if the projectile is headed toward a population center or sensitive military or civilian infrastructure. Israeli leaders say the system isn't 100% guaranteed, but credit it with preventing serious damage and countless casualties. Here's a closer look at Israel's multilayered air-defense system: The Arrow: This system developed with the U.S. is designed to intercept long-range missiles. The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used to intercept long-range missiles launched by the Houthis as well as those launched by Iran during two direct exchanges of fire last year.

Delhi Police Wednesday arrested two men for allegedly robbing about Rs 80 lakh from a trader at gun point in Chandni Chowk two days ago. The case has been solved within 24 hours with the help of Israeli face recognition software, TOI reported. The suspects, identified as Mohammad Ali (21) and Samir (19), were arrested from Daryaganj. The entire stolen amount has been recovered from them, the police said. The two had knowledge of the movement of of angadias (hawala couriers) in the area and planned to target a large cash transfer, a senior police officer said. «On Monday, around 7.40pm, a trader, Ajamal, was returning home after collecting about Rs 80 lakh in cash. Near his residence in Haider Quli, a man stopped him at gunpoint, tried to snatch his bag and fired a shot at the ground when the victim resisted. The assailant then fled with the bag containing the cash. An FIR was registered at Lahori Gate police station and an investigation was launched,» the officer told TOI. Footage was analysed from about 500 CCTV cameras across Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Daryaganj and Lahori Gate to trace the route used by the robbers to escape. The police observed that they kept changing directions after the robbery.

Yemen early Thursday. In Jerusalem, several explosions were heard shortly after the sirens sounded. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Yemen's Houthi group this week resumed missile attacks following the collapse of Israel's ceasefire with Hamas. Police also reported sirens in central Israel in the 4 a.m. attack. The MADA rescue service says it has received no reports of injuries. Israel said Wednesday its troops retook part of a corridor that bisects Gaza, and its defense minister warned that attacks would intensify until Hamas frees dozens of hostages and gives up control of the territory.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The much-anticipated telephone call between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, as well as chart out a path for a lasting peace formula, turned out to be sub-optimal and weighed down by variables antagonistic to a meaningful deal. The tentative deal reached after a marathon 150-minute call has placed energy infrastructure out of bounds, but allowed broader hostilities to continue.

Gold price on Wednesday fell, as some profit-booking kicked in after prices scaled a record peak, while focus shifted to U.S. Federal Reserve policy decision due later in the day. Spot gold fell 0.2 per cent to $3,027.89 an ounce, as of 0930 GMT, after hitting an all-time peak of $3,045.24 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures shed 0.1 per cent to $3,036.60. There is a possibility of profit booking because the price rally was quite sharp, but «it's possible for prices to move beyond $3,050 level driven by market fears in terms of geopolitics,» said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ. Gold, considered a safe investment amid periods of uncertainties, has scaled 15 record highs so far this year. Investors are worried about an economic slowdown and elevated risks of recession due to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy. While, conflict in the Israel has resumed after attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Alphabet, stand to reap returns as high as 200 times for seed investors, among them Sequoia Capital, Cyberstarts and Index Ventures. The $32 billion all-cash Wiz deal on Tuesday marked a major win for about 25 firms on Wiz's cap table, according to PitchBook, a rarity in the past few years as high interest rates and tight antitrust scrutiny reduced exit events. Among the investors, the biggest beneficiaries are those that put money into Wiz early and continued to invest over the years. Their success demonstrated the power law in venture capital when a small number of investments generate the majority of returns.

«I really wanted to believe that there is still a chance to reach a second stage without renewing this war. But it feels like my building of hope has collapsed, and I have no idea what to do next,» Nimrodi said Tuesday. Nearly 60 families have relatives still held in Gaza. About two dozen hostages are believed to be alive. During the ceasefire's first phase, which began in January, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. But since that phase ended early this month, the sides have not been able to agree on a way forward. Israel's renewed airstrikes threaten to end the fragile deal.

Oil prices slid on Wednesday after Russia agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal that Moscow and Kyiv stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure temporarily, which could lead to more Russian oil entering global markets. Brent crude futures were down 12 cents, or 0.2%, at $70.44 a barrel by 0106 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) lost 15 cents, or 0.2%, to $66.75.

Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Federal Reserve later in the day. Overnight, Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to reach an agreement on a Ukraine ceasefire and Germany's outgoing parliament approved plans for a massive spending surge.

«The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight,» White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Fox News interview. Palestinian medics in Gaza reported dozens of people were killed in the aftermath of a series of the most violent air attacks by Israel on the Palestinian enclave since a ceasefire was reached on January 19 between Israel and Hamas militants. A senior Hamas official said Israel had unilaterally overturned the ceasefire agreement. «As President Trump has made it clear — Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,» the White House spokesperson said.

Hamas warned that Israel's new airstrikes early Tuesday breached their ceasefire and put the fate of hostages in jeopardy. Israel said it launched the wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the ceasefire. It was not immediately clear if the operation was a one-time pressure tactic or if the 17-month-old war was being resumed altogether. Hamas said Israel's government was responsible for an «unprovoked escalation» against Palestinians. Gaza's ministry of health said at least 44 people were killed in the airstrikes early Tuesday. Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was striking Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the ceasefire. It was not immediately clear if the operation was a one-time pressure tactic or if the 17-month-old war was being resumed altogether.

Alphabet's latest offer is higher by roughly a third of the $23 billion deal it offered last year, which Wiz called off in July 2024 over concerns it would not clear antitrust hurdles.

Gaza early Tuesday morning. Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, saying it was striking Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the ceasefire. It was not immediately clear if the operation was a one-time pressure tactic or if the 17-month-old war was being resumed altogether. «This comes after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the U.S. presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators,» Netanyahu's office said. Taher Nunu, a Hamas official, criticized the Israeli attacks. «The international community faces a moral test: either it allows the return of the crimes committed by the occupation army or it enforces a commitment to ending the aggression and war against innocent people in Gaza,» he said.

economic outlook amid tariffs and trade woes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Going to Harvard just got more affordable for most of America. The Ivy League school is significantly expanding financial aid to make undergraduate admission tuition-free for families making up to $200,000 and completely free for families making up to $100,000.

geopolitical tensions, jitters about tariffs escalating trade frictions, and increased hopes of interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve continued to fuel safe-haven demand.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the overnight U.S. strikes killed at least 53 people, including five women and two children, and wounded almost 100 in the capital of Sanaa and other provinces, including Saada, the rebels' stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia. «We're not going to have these people controlling which ships can go through and which ones cannot. And so your question is, how long will this go on? It will go on until they no longer have the capability to do that,» Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS on Sunday. He said these are not the one-off retaliation strikes the Biden administration carried out after Houthi attacks. President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to use «overwhelming lethal force» until the Houthis cease their attacks, and warned that Tehran would be held «fully accountable» for their actions. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted international shipping in the Red Sea, sinking two vessels, in what they call acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with Hamas, another Iranian ally.

Five months after the assault, she lay on a mat in a displacement camp in South Sudan's capital, rubbing her swollen belly. «I felt like I wasn't heard… and now I'm pregnant,» she said. The Associated Press does not identify people who have been raped. Sexual assault is a constant risk for many women in South Sudan. Now one aid group is trying to bridge the gap with technology, to find and help survivors more quickly. But it's not easy in a country with low connectivity, high illiteracy and wariness about how information is used. Five months ago, an Israel-based organization in South Sudan piloted a chatbot it created on WhatsApp. It prompts questions for its staff to ask survivors of sexual assault to anonymously share their experiences. The information is put into the phone while speaking to the person and the bot immediately notifies a social worker there's a case, providing help to the person within hours. IsraAID said the technology improves communication. Papers can get misplaced and information can go missing, said Rodah Nyaduel, a psychologist with the group. When colleagues document an incident, she's notified by phone and told what type of case it is.