Horowitz & Co. has an extensive financial services and derivatives practice that advises many of the world’s largest financial institutions and investment banks.  The firm provides strategic legal counsel and regulatory advice to international investment banks, investment houses and financial managers on all aspects on their carrying out of investment business in Israel and the structure and enforceability of entering into derivative transactions.

Our expertise includes advising on:

• The offering, marketing and promotion of financial products, including offshore annuities, mutual funds, life policies and other sophisticated and hybrid instruments
• The applicability of Israeli law and regulations, and the obtaining of the necessary regulatory approvals or licences for  conducting investment business, providing investment advice, offering credit or providing brokerage services in Israel
• Derivatives, including multicurrency, commodity, interest rate and credit default swaps as well as contracts for differences, repos and other forms of hedging contracts based on standard and non-standard market documentation, including the effect and validity of netting and collateral
• Internet trading platforms for securities and forex
• Banking regulation, including advice to foreign banks and financial institutions on Israeli laws relating to the establishment of a banking presence in Israel, and advice on the application of banking regulations to real estate, securities and other non-banking activities involved in launching branch offices and subsidiaries in Israel
• The regulatory framework for offerings of virtual currencies
• The tax impact of financial instruments, including linked notes, receipts and mutual funds
• The setting up and structuring of investment and mutual funds and regulatory issues arising from their formation and operation

In addition, the firm is the Israeli contributor to the Navigator service managed by Simmons and Simmons covering the law and practice of financial services, securities and funds, banking, lending and corporate finance services in Israel.

Clients we have advised include Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Barclays, CitiGroup, Jane Street, JP Morgan, UBS, CityIndex, AQR Capital Management, Natixis, Bank of America, Wellington Capital Management, Goldman Sachs and Lloyds Banking Group.