​18 October, 2020

Israel Securities Authority Chairwoman, Anat Guetta: “The ISA constantly strives to increase awareness of financial education in general and of responsible investing in particular. In the current era, the Internet gives the public access to a multitude of information. On the other hand, the public is exposed to, and even inundated, with a variety of offers from various bodies. Precisely like investments in the capital market, accessibility to the Internet creates opportunities alongside risks. I therefore consider it extremely important to use these tools to reach the human mosaic of which the Israeli public is composed. In the last few years, the ISA has intensified its activities in the social networks and other platforms by making financial information accessible in simple language, live broadcasts to provide answers to the public’s questions, and the publication of guides about financial consumerism. I invite you to join us and to equip yourself for investments in securities in the capital market”.

Today (18 October 2020), The ISA is launching World Investor Week (WIW) 2020 for the fourth year. World Investor Week campaign aim to increase awareness of the importance of financial education as a key tool for the promotion of responsible financial consumerism among the public at large. The Israel Securities Authority is a partner in the campaign led by IOSCO, the senior forum for cooperation between financial authorities worldwide, along with more than 100 regulated authorities globally.

This year, the ISA is marking the campaign with various activities intended to bring the subject to a young target audience in the social media and the Internet. At the center of the campaign is a survey of investors’ characteristics, with the slogan “I discovered the investor in me”. The survey was written with the help of the Pensions, Insurance and Financial Literacy Center in Ben-Gurion University, and is designed to identify the connections between knowhow and character features and an inclination and readiness to invest in the capital market. The response to the survey, which includes ten questions, will characterize five investor types which will be expressed in the following way: "King!" – lion, "goes for a sure thing" – koala, "on one leg" – flamingo, "Hakuna Matata" – meercat and " impromptu"– fledgling (see examples below). After responding to the questionnaire, every investor will be exposed to a brief explanation of the tools associated with the capital market. 

The publications will be accompanied by short videos and AR effects on Instagram. This year, stickers will be launched in WhatsApp relating to investments in securities. As part of the activities that the ISA is conducting as a public service, there will be an online meeting with the public to enhance knowledge about the capital market in the shadow of Corona times, headed by the ISA's Chair , Anat Guetta, and with the participation of the director of the Corporate Finance department, Adv. Sara Kandler. There will also be a guest lecture by the entrepreneur and international lecturer, Tzameret Fuerst.

In recent years, the ISA has conducted several campaigns intended to “reach” the public at large in order to increase awareness of the importance of financial education. These campaigns included the publication of a series of short films – a street questionnaire, in which passers-by were asked about basic terms associated with the capital market, publication of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for Unregulated Investments”, a document that contains the insights put together by the Securities Authority for the public, and the setting up of a Fake Investments Site (www.rne.co.il). The site was advertised in the social media, and in one week more than two million people surfed the site, 17,000 people showed interest in the investment offered by the site, and 160 asked for additional information and basically “fell for the fraud”.

You are invited to surf the ISA website and follow the information published on the social networks. Links to the Securities Authority’s social networks for you to use:

https://www.facebook.com/IsraelSecurities/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/israel-securities-authority/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTpWObs8xp5oPpGuNpF4cdA/videos

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGeyjcQifzu/

The questionnaire – Hebrew version - https://bit.ly/37gbIkf

It should be noted that the questionnaire is offered to the public by the Securities Authority as part of its activities to promote responsible financial consumerism. The questionnaire was written with the help of the Pensions, Insurance and Financial Literacy Center in Ben-Gurion University, which is working to identify the connections between knowhow and character features and an inclination and readiness to invest in the capital market. The questionnaire is general in nature and neither it nor its results should be taken as a recommendation to be active in the capital market or to choose any particular investment channel. The Securities Authority emphasizes the importance of investment in regulated activities and the great contribution the assistance of a license holder can make prior to making an investment in the capital market and during it.