Israel’s investment industry has been reported as growing, and not surprisingly it has received interest from the Israeli Securities Authority. Late last year the ISA surveyed several funds and found that they were not following the requirements of Israel’s privacy laws. This resulted in a recent letter sent by the ISA to fund managers, warning the managers to take steps to protect customer information. Israel, like most countries around the globe, has a privacy law and corresponding regulations. Unlike many other jurisdictions, though, its privacy law has been deemed “adequate” by the EU, and as such, compliance can be a fairly rigorous exercise.  Accompanying the ISA letter were “insights” on how to protect information, including things like software updates and user authentication. Included in the insights were recommendations that are not included in Israel’s privacy law or regulation. However, the insights do mirror requirements that exist under Israeli laws for banks and insurance companies.

Putting it Into Practice: This letter shows the worldwide concern regulators have of ensuring companies protect consumer information.