Powering up the US
Israel’s Zooz Power (see previously) has signed an agreement with US-based Blink Charging for the marketing, distribution, sale, and deployment of the ZOOZTER-100 electric vehicle (EV) charging system in the United States. Zooz also just installed its first charging systems in Israel.
Exits, takeovers and mergers
Israel’s has acquired Israel’s for approximately .
US-based RMS has acquired Israeli fraud detection startup for over .
El Al to buy its 17th Dreamliner
Israel’s El Al airline is soon to take delivery of two more Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Its 16th will be the 787-8 it ordered prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also buy a 787-9 originally ordered by another Boeing customer who no longer requires it. Boeing will adapt it for El Al.
Germany’s first fully automated supermarket
The new REWE Pick&Go store in central Munich is Germany’s first-ever 100% autonomous store, thanks to Israel’s Trigo (see previously).
Shufersal to open SPAR stores in Israel
Israel’s largest supermarket chain Shufersal is to invest tens of millions of shekels to open at least ten SPAR stores in Israel, as well as sell SPAR products in Shufersal stores. The lower prices of SPAR products are expected to help reduce Israel’s cost of living. See previously.
Good news disguised as bad
This negatively headlined article on Israel in 2022 is mostly comprised of good news. Productivity increasing; hi-tech booming; unemployment decreasing; job vacancies increasing; education results improving; life expectancy rising. Can’t these journalists lighten up a bit?
Preventing financial crime in the UAE
Dubai-based NOW Money is to use the AI anti-money laundering (AML) platform from Israel’s ThetaRay to help prevent financial crimes on its payments systems. ThetaRay’s SONAR cloud-based AML solution will monitor cross-border payments processed by NOW Money.
Tourist numbers surge
Over 2.6 million foreign tourists visited Israel in 2022, compared to 397,000 in 2021 and 831,000 in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Israel opened its borders to tourists in Mar 2022 and all restrictions were dropped in May. Israelis enjoyed a record 20 million overnight local hotel stays in 2022.
Unemployment falls to 4.1%
Israel’s rate of unemployment fell in November to 4.1% from 4.3% in October. The fall was mainly due to the rise in workforce participation to 60.6% (60.3% Oct).
Israel’s resilient economy
Excellent short article by Prof. Micheal Humphries of the Jerusalem College of Technology and Touro College Israel. He gives six key reasons why (except for 2020 - Covid), Israel has had positive economic growth every year since 2003, including during the 2008-9 Great Recession.