Israel Active

The Israeli and Dubai diamond exchanges have struck a deal to boost trade. The Israeli Diamond Exchange will open an office in Dubai, while the Dubai Multi Commodities Center, an economic free zone, will set up shop in Ramat Gan, Israel, the base of the Israeli exchange.

Group 42, an Abu Dhabi-based hi-tech company, is opening a subsidiary in Israel to give the UAE company “access to one of the most vibrant and mature tech ecosystems in the world.” Group 42 already has partnership agreements with Israeli companies NanoScent, Rafael and IAI.

There are still plenty of vacancies in Israeli companies for hi-tech personnel, despite the pandemic. Salary levels also remain high. DevOps engineers and Data specialists are extremely sought-after and cyber security professionals are now seen as critical.

Nine Israeli organizations have been selected for EU funding under the Horizon 2020 program designed to combat Covid-19. A total of NIS 18 million was allocated for them to work in eight of the EU’s 23 collaborative projects.

Walmart is launching a drone delivery pilot programme in partnership with Israeli drone startup Flytrex (reported previously). Walmart branches in North Carolina will trial deliveries to customers’ yards.

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After debuts in Australia and Puerto Rico, Israeli gelato chain Anita (reported previously) has finally arrived in New York. Its store, near Central Park, brings unique flavors from the Holy Land, some specifically for the Big Apple.

Israel’s Melio helps small businesses to better manage their cash flow during the pandemic. It allows them to transfer and receive payments in a faster, easier way. The workforce of Melio has increased from 35 to 125 since the start of the year and its volumes increased 700% in the last 6 months.

Israel’s Joy Ventures seeks out and supports organizations that are actively working on wellness solutions to help those suffering from the ‘new world’ brought on by Covid-19. Its portfolio includes Sanga (meditation) and virtual personal fitness coach Vi Technologies (reported previously.

Israeli fintech company Payoneer (reported previously) is recruiting 300 new employees, half of them in Israel and the other half across its dozens of branches around the world. There has been a huge demand during the Covid-19 pandemic for Payoneer’s online money transfer and digital payment services.