Business brief
Cross-Border Deals and Institutional Leverage
Israeli corporate leadership expands into global parking and Hollywood megadeals while sovereign-backed private equity deepens domestic stakes.
Business
Kreiz's co-CEO appointment installs a veteran corporate turnaround operator — prioritizing brutal cost reduction over creative risk to service legacy Hollywood's $80 billion debt pile.
BackgroundKreiz grew up in Ramat Gan and started his career building Fox Kids Europe with Israeli media mogul Haim Saban. He later revitalized Mattel through the blockbuster Barbie franchise, earning a Wall Street reputation for disciplined operational turnarounds.
- Kreiz will oversee daily operations and enterprise restructuring, freeing creative partner David Ellison to steer theatrical film production and emerging technology initiatives.
- The merged management team must urgently service nearly $80 billion in combined corporate debt while unifying competing streaming operations Max and Paramount+ under one roof.
- Entertainment analysts anticipate sweeping headcount reductions and aggressive library licensing deals as Kreiz works to extract $6 billion in promised annual cost synergies.
- The appointment places an Israeli corporate executive atop the world's largest legacy entertainment portfolio, overseeing global networks like CBS, HBO, and Warner Bros. studios.
Business
Affinity's billion-dollar anchor stake in Phoenix binds Gulf sovereign capital directly to Israeli defense infrastructure — institutionalizing cross-border financial leverage that Washington and Jerusalem can no longer easily unwind.
BackgroundAffinity Partners was launched with billions in Gulf sovereign funding to deploy capital across US and Israeli commercial ventures. Phoenix Financial is one of Israel's largest institutional managers, stewarding tens of billions of shekels in domestic retirement savings and corporate investments.
- Affinity maintains effective control as the anchor shareholder in Phoenix despite selling roughly $340 million in equity during a scheduled summer portfolio rebalancing.
- Phoenix manages significant holdings across Israel's security sector, including $265.1 million invested in defense giant Elbit Systems alongside other strategic military suppliers.
- Corporate governance specialists point out that the holding company gives foreign sovereign wealth funds an indirect, quiet channel into core Israeli financial infrastructure.
- The equity arrangement has sparked political debates in Washington over disclosure standards when Gulf sovereign capital interacts with strategic allied defense contractors.
Business
Nayax's debt-backed takeover secures lucrative municipal parking contracts across the West — transforming the Herzliya hardware maker into an international unattended payments giant.
BackgroundNayax trades on both the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, providing automated point-of-sale hardware and telemetry for vending machines and charging stations. IPS Group developed the solar-powered smart parking meter, building long-term municipal contracts that generate over $90 million in steady annual revenue.
- Nayax funded the $350 million purchase using existing cash reserves alongside $150 million in senior credit arranged by Poalim Tech and First International Bank of Israel.
- The transaction widens Nayax's addressable market to an estimated $342 billion by 2029, locking in multi-year municipal contracts that resist consumer spending downturns.
- Over 60% of IPS Group's revenue comes from recurring cloud software and payment processing, which directly stabilizes Nayax against cyclical hardware replacement slumps.
- Shares climbed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange as domestic institutional investors welcomed the favorable syndicated debt terms secured from local lenders.
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