Israel’s stock market will move to a Monday-to-Friday schedule, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced during a visit to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) on Monday.
The goal is to adjust the Israeli capital market to international standards. Currently, TASE operates on a Sunday-to-Thursday schedule.
“Friday trading will end at 2:00 p.m., while making sure to observe the Sabbath and taking into account the needs of all market participants,” Smotrich said in a statement.
“Due to the need for the preparation of various players in the market and the provision of solutions for various interfaces, the change is expected to come into effect at the beginning of 2026,” according to the statement.
Itai Ben-Zeev, CEO of TASE, said transitioning to Monday-to-Friday trading will lead to more international investment, make Israeli companies more appealing and speed growth of the local capital market.
“TASE has long hoped a decision to shift away from Israel’s Sunday-to-Thursday work week to one that overlaps more with Wall Street and European bourses would win it inclusion in global index provider MSCI’s Europe category,” Reuters reported
In 2022, MSCI rejected moving Israel to a new region, citing the different market trading days as a primary reason, the news outlet said.
