Jefferies Releases "Shifting Sands: Israel's Role as a Financial Capital in an Evolving Middle East,” a Comprehensive Report Highlighting Israel's Capital Market Resilience and Tech Ecosystem Strength Amid Regional Transformation

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jefferies announced today the publication of "Shifting Sands: Israel's Role as a Financial Capital in an Evolving Middle East," a comprehensive analysis of Israel's evolving position as a regional technology and financial hub. The report is being presented by Natti Ginor, Managing Director and Head of Jefferies' Israel Coverage Group, at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.

The report details Israel's remarkable capital markets performance and technology ecosystem resilience throughout a period of regional conflict. Key highlights include:

• Capital Markets Outperformance: The TA-35 index surged 52% in 2025, significantly outpacing the S&P 500's 16% gain, while Tel Aviv Stock Exchange equity market capitalization rose 46% to approximately $628 billion.
• Tech Ecosystem Strength: Israel's private tech sector raised an estimated $19.9 billion across approximately 860 funding rounds in 2025, marking a 62% increase in total capital raised year-over-year.
• Historic M&A Activity: 2025 witnessed over 150 deals with a cumulative transaction value of $82.3 billion, headlined by Google's $32 billion acquisition of Wiz—the largest deal in Israeli history.
• Global Investor Confidence: Foreign investor holdings in TASE-listed securities more than doubled since October 2023, reaching a new all-time high of $108 billion by January 2026, with net inflows of $1.4 billion in 2025.

“Israel has demonstrated unprecedented resilience as both a capital markets and technology leader," said Natti Ginor, Managing Director and Head of Israel Coverage Group at Jefferies. "Despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, global investor sentiment toward Israel remains highly favorable. The combination of strong capital markets, cutting‑edge innovation, and deepening global market integration is reinforcing Israel’s role as a key economic and strategic player in the evolving Middle East."

The report also examines Israel's leadership in key technology sectors including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and defense-tech, while highlighting major dual-listing initiatives such as Palo Alto Networks' February 2026 listing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Jefferies continues to demonstrate its commitment to Israel, ranking as the #1 investment bank in Israel in 2025 by deal count and having led 10 global equity follow-on offerings for TASE-listed companies totaling over $3.5 billion since the start of the conflict.

The full report is available here.

About Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies (NYSE: JEF) is one of the world’s leading full-service investment banking and capital markets firms. We primarily serve public companies, private companies, and their sponsors and owners, institutional investors, and government entities. Our services are enhanced by our relentless client focus, our differentiated insights and a flat and nimble operating structure.