Israel adds four foreign-currency government bond series to Tel Aviv trading

what happened

Israel's Finance Ministry said on Sunday, according to Reuters, that four more series of foreign-currency government bonds, already trading internationally, will be dual-listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Two are dollar-denominated, maturing in 2033 and 2035, with $4.5 billion in circulation. Two are euro-denominated, due in 2032 and 2037, with €2.75 billion outstanding. Market-making begins Monday.

According to the ministry, the move gives local investors access to hard-currency sovereign debt through the domestic market and should broaden bond trading at home. Roughly 30 Israeli government series still trade overseas, mostly over the counter. Only three had been dual-listed in Tel Aviv since 2021, and a market-making programme started only in June.

Since June, turnover in these bonds has reached 360 million shekels ($115 million), across 4,389 transactions. Deputy Accountant General Gil Cohen said that adding series strengthens the link between the state's international debt activity and the local capital market. The Treasury will keep tracking trading and is open to more listings. Exchange rate: $1 = 3.1383 shekels.

why it matters

For markets this is a structural step: it widens choices for local investors and may deepen domestic bond trading, though it does not directly move major asset prices.

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