Par IsraelValley Desk
Rubrique: Banque & finance
Publié le 4 septembre 2010

Un article de Ynet laisse entendre que des banques Françaises ont l’intention de demander à l’Autorité publique l’ouverture de succursales pour le grand public. Selon nos propres sources, cette information semble peu crédible pour les banques françaises.

L’article que nous reproduisons ci-dessous contient certainement des erreurs dans la mesure où BNP PARIBAS a été oubliée dans l’état des lieux résumant la présence des banques étrangères en Israël. Seules les banques HSBC, BFP, SBI, SAFRA BANK, SAFDIE BANK, CREDIT SUISSE, UBS, CIC et CREDIT AGRICOLE, CHASE MANHATTAN, ROTCSCHILD (Luxembourd) ont été mentionnées par le journal.—

Ynet (Copyrights) : "Bank of Israel source confirms reports, but refuses to specify which banks looking to branch out into Israel. Only four foreign banks currently operate in Jewish state under bank commissioner’s supervision. Israel’s good economic situation could lead foreign banks to open branches in the Jewish state in the near future. Yedioth Ahronoth’s financial section, Mamon, reported on Monday that representatives of major banks from around the world, including Germany, Holland, France, Italy, the US and Canada, have been looking into the possibility of opening branches in Israel.

A senior Bank of Israel source confirmed that foreign banks were examining the possibility, but refused to specify which banks so as to maintain confidentiality and for fear that premature reports could lead the banks to change their minds. “We must not make any statements on the matter,” an official Bank of Israel source told Mamon. At present, only four major international banks have branches in Israel that are under the bank commissioner’s full supervision: the US’ Citibank, Switzerland’s HSBC, Dutch BFP, and India’s SBI, with all their main offices located in Tel Aviv. In addition, eight other foreign banks have offices in Israel that are not under Bank Commissioner Rony Hizkiyahu’s supervision, as they do not offer banking services for the general public in Israel. The Swiss banks operating in Israel are Safra Bank, Safdie Bank, Credit Suisse, and the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS).

France’s Credit Agricole Bank and Credit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) also have offices in Israel, as do Luxembourg’s Armand de Rothschild Bank and the US’ Chase Manhattan Bank. Bank of Israel sources explained that foreign banks’ offices in the country do not require the bank commissioner’s supervision or permit unless they plan to open active branches. Obtaining such a permit involves a process that could take up to many months. A Bank of Israel source told Mamon, "Opening offices and branches of foreign banks in Israel could certainly contribute to the economic ties with companies and investors abroad, and there is no doubt that this is good for the market.

“However, every request to open an active branch in Israel must be thoroughly examined by the bank commissioner.” A source from the banking field noted that banks opening branches in other countries has been rare since the break of the major economic crisis in the United State, which led over 1,000 banks around the world, over 200 of them in the US, to bankruptcy and closure."