Investment banking firm Benson Oak revealed it would pump “around $100 mln” into Israel-based startups with an “emphasis” on blockchain, local Israeli news outlet the Jerusalem Post reported today, July 9. The Czech-headquartered giant’s subsidiary Benson Oak Ventures will focus specifically on the Israeli market. Having already raised $25 mln, a further $75 mln is expected, with the company expressing its belief in the potential of both Israel as a jurisdiction and local business projects. “I believe that there are great entrepreneurs in Israel who are leading the platforms of the future, with creating [sic] and disruptive use of blockchain …

Israel’s Supreme Court has issued a temporary court order prohibiting Leumi Bank from restricting the banking activity of crypto broker Bits of Gold, Finance Magnates reported yesterday, Feb. 26. The Supreme Court’s decision, that has been described as “precedent-setting,” means that banks in general cannot limit accounts associated with the crypto industry. In June 2017, the district judiciary court in Tel Aviv had supported Leumi Bank when Bits of Gold had sought a court order after being denied service by Leumi. The bank had cited an inability for Bitcoin (BTC) transactions to follow Israel’s anti-money laundering laws as the reason …

According to mathematician Meni Rosenfeld, Israel is a Bitcoin “forerunner.” With large numbers of users in the country, the number of startups and merchants continues to grow. Rosenfeld says: “I think the Bitcoin community in Israel is more coherent than in many other places in the world, which can be attributed to the small size of the country. Everyone is in driving distance from anyone else, so its much easier to breed communities that actually meet up and cooperate.” Among the list of Israel-based startups, Bits of Gold — in which Rosenfeld is an investor — GetGems and Polycoin lead …