FIMI CEO: Foreign investors flocking back to Israel

Israeli private stock company Opportunity boxes Fimi She flourished during the war due to its investments in the defense sector. Speaking to the capital market editor “Globes” Shalv at the “Going Long on ISRAEL” conference, Fimi IShay Davidi CEO said foreign investors have recently started to return to Israel in large numbers.

“In the past three months, we have seen a trend of foreign investors returning, as in prosperity, in large numbers. I hope that other events will not have an effect. This is a welcome period in which investors who withdrew on October 7, but they will determine whether or not there is stability.” Fimi is the largest private employer in Israel, with about 50,000 employees in about 50 factories, with 11 prominent defense companies, including: seven public trading and four private ownership.

In this sector, the company needed to respond despite the challenges of war. “From October 8, we have created an emergency headquarters that are updated daily, due to the responsibility we bear,” says David. “When the war began, we had to deal with 2000 people who were filled by reserves and factories from Kirit Shona to Ashkelon and the border region of Gaza, where the missiles were hitting factories. There were also workers whose homes were no longer present, and they were evacuated. It was a complex operation that was not like we expected.”

“No factory or company has stopped for a minute.”

Davidi details international challenges that tested companies in the Fimi portfolio during the war. “We need to produce goods and bring them from the east, but we had to wander in Africa and some airlines and ships did not arrive. Not only that you boycotted a defensive perspective, but you could not also attend the exhibitions. Seven companies from our companies were supposed to have stopped a different exhibition, or could not consist of any materials, but it was not impossible to consist of any materials. Even for a minute.”

A prominent company bought by Fimi is Ashot Ashkelon (Tase: Asho), which has been obtained from Elbit and since then it collected the market ceiling. “Elbit sees well what you have achieved. On the other hand, we sold Tadiran connections to Elbit and I can make a great profit on it. We are also happy to sell good companies. In order to continue to improve and sell, the buyer must be satisfied. He sold Elbit Ashkelon because he is not in the field of focus.

The last investment in Fimi is the acquisition of 50 % of Marom Dolphin for 130 million NIS. Davidi explains that part of the long -term stock company's point of view stems from the “neighborhood” in which Israel is located. “We have evaluated this several years ago and this is the reason that we have acquired defense companies. We are in a state of war and may remain in an atheist environment at the very least, and Israel must be fully confident and technologically strong against its enemies. We are the largest test in the world to use military technology.”

In the strategy during the war, David says that early November 2023, Fimi made a decision to “go to Israel.” According to him, the Marum Dolphin deal reflects this. “We believe that getting a company during this period over the coming years is the right specifically. With regard to abroad, it is complicated, and the decision is not our points but Jupiter. Until 4-5 months, there were no real investors.”

In the future, Davidi explains that Fimi is not looking for a specific sector, and this is reflected in the 14 sectors in which it works. “From Covid and during the war in the world and also in Israel, it is clear that the medical sector is good, with the four companies we have. Besides, the defense sector is highlighted, and we will continue to invest in it.”

The conference will be held in cooperation with Cliving Insurance and is sponsored by One Zero Bank and Ratio Energies.

It was published by Globes, Israel Business News – En.globes.co.il – on March 24, 2025.

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