Israel

For the vast majority of Israeli and Israel-related companies considering an IPO, London should continue to be the venue of choice. London has greater access to capital and liquidity than the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and lower barriers to entry than US markets, as well as greater opportunities for index inclusion. The common narrative in the media that valuations in US capital markets are superior does not fully reflect the reality. While some of the largest and most successful companies have achieved attractive valuations in the US[1], a US IPO is realistic only for the very largest Israeli private companies. Furthermore, for the vast majority that have chosen this route in recent years, post-IPO share price performance has been extremely disappointing. Whilst the geopolitical situation for Israeli and Israel-related companies is currently challenging, we expect that, once the situation stabilises, there will be increasing interest from those companies about listing in London, particularly as the UK’s forthcoming “once in a generation” capital markets regulatory reforms take effect.

International law firm BCLP has advised French multinational retail group Carrefour on expansion of its international footprint with its long-term franchise arrangement with Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, which currently operates over 150 supermarkets in Israel.