by Yoram Ettinger
According to Forbes magazine's September issue, "Since 2011, there has been a 50% year-on-year growth of Chinese investment in Israel
According to KPMG, one
of the four largest global auditing firms, Israel has become a leading
hothouse for financial technology companies. Nine out of 100 globally
promising fin-tech companies are from Israel, up from eight out of 100
in 2015.
One of the Israeli
companies, digital payments company Payoneer, raised $18 million on Oct.
6 in a round led by the Silicon Valley-based Technology Crossover
Ventures and the Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania-based Susquehanna Growth
Equity.
In defiance of the
global financial downtrend, but as a derivative of Israel's cutting-edge
technologies, Israeli high-tech companies raised $1.19 billion in the
third fiscal quarter of 2016, the second highest quarterly amount in 10
years. During the first nine months of 2016, Israeli high-tech companies
raised $4 billion -- 27% above the $3.15 billion raised during the
first nine months of 2015. However, the third quarter of 2016 has
recorded a 24% decline compared with the third quarter of 2015, although
the total for September was higher than August.
Boston Scientific
acquired Israel's EndoChoice for $210 million; Israel's Ormat
Technologies concluded a senior-unsecured-bonds tender for $204 million;
and the New York-based CA Technologies acquired Israel's BlazeMeter for
$100 million, marking the company's 13th Israeli acquisition. The $3
billion-worth U.S. cyber giant ProofPoint acquired Israel's FireLayers
for $55 million, making the latter its research and development center.
Global trade platform eBay acquired Israel's Corrigon for $30 million,
marking its sixth Israeli acquisition. Multinational biopharmaceutical
giant Shire extends its strategic partnership with Israel's
plasma-derived protein therapeutics company Kamada, which is expected to
yield a minimum of $237 million in revenues by 2020.
According to Forbes
magazine's September issue, "Since 2011, there has been a 50%
year-on-year growth of Chinese investment in Israel. ... The business
relations between Israel and China is growing. For example, Li-Ka-Shing,
the Hong Kong-based tycoon, has invested -- privately and via his
venture capital fund, Horizon Ventures -- in 30 Israeli companies."
China's $3
billion-worth Neusoft IT co-founded a $250 million investment fund with
Israel's Infinity Capital Equity Fund, targeting Israeli digital
pharmaceutical equipment companies; Chinese internet giant Baidu
partnered with Israel's Carmel investment fund, tapping three Israeli
companies and opening an office in Israel; China's Innovative Medical
invested $30 million in Israel's Pluristem.
Moreover, about $15
billion have been invested in Israel by Chinese giants such as ChemCina,
which acquired Adama, a crop protection company, for $3.7 billion;
Bright Food, which acquired Tnuva, a dairy producer, for $2.5 billion;
and Fosun, which acquired Ahava, a cosmetic producer, for $77 million.
Shanghai Giant Network Technology, Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma and
additional Chinese investors acquired Playtika, an online company for
$4.4 billion.
Yoram Ettinger
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=17537
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