Banking עברית

Bank Hapoalim

Bank Hapoalim is Israel's largest bank by total assets, founded in 1921 by the Histadrut trade union federation and the Zionist Organisation.

Bank Hapoalim B.M. is an Israeli commercial bank headquartered in Tel Aviv, and the largest bank in Israel by total assets, ahead of Bank Leumi.[1] It was founded in 1921 by the Histadrut labour federation and the Zionist Organisation.[2]

History

Bank Hapoalim ("Workers' Bank") was established in 1921 as the banking arm of the newly founded Histadrut, intended to finance labour-cooperative enterprises in Mandate Palestine.[2] It grew into the country's largest bank during the state's first decades. Like other Israeli banks, it was nationalised after the 1983 bank stock crisis and later privatised; the controlling stake passed to private investors in 1997.[2]

Operations

The bank operates retail, business and corporate banking divisions, with total assets of approximately NIS 730 billion as of 2024.[1] Its shares trade on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (symbol POLI) as a constituent of the TA-35 index.

Regulation

Bank Hapoalim is supervised by the Banking Supervision Department of the Bank of Israel, and its securities activities fall under the Israel Securities Authority.[3]

Sources

  1. [1] Bank Hapoalim — official site — Bank Hapoalim Primary source

    Cited for: Largest bank in Israel by total assets, approx. NIS 730 billion (2024)

  2. [2] Bank Hapoalim — Wikipedia

    Cited for: Founded in 1921 by the Histadrut and the Zionist Organisation; privatised in 1997

  3. [3] Israel Securities Authority — ISA Primary source

    Cited for: Securities activities overseen by the Israel Securities Authority