Company Overview
Snapshot
Founded in May 2017 by Yuval Aloni, Esh operates with 51–200 employees. The company has raised $35,000,000 across 2 funding rounds from 2 investors. Esh was acquired by Bank Hapoalim (IsraCard) in March 2026.
Business overview
Esh is an Israeli digital bank that provides comprehensive banking services without physical branches. Its core technology leverages a fully digital platform to offer personal and business accounts, loans, deposits, payments, and credit cards. The company focuses on streamlining operations and enhancing customer experience through technology, serving the fintech and insurtech sectors.
Strategic signal
In March 2026, Esh was acquired by Bank Hapoalim (IsraCard), a deal that was subsequently reported to have collapsed in July 2026. This acquisition, despite its eventual collapse, highlighted the high costs and slow rollout challenges faced by new entrants in the banking sector, signaling the complexities of digital banking expansion and regulatory hurdles for investors and innovation teams.
Log in to access full profile ›Company Intelligence Q&A
- What is Esh's primary business?
- Esh is a digital bank in Israel that provides banking services without physical branches, including personal and business accounts, loans, deposits, payments, and credit cards through a fully digital platform.
- When was Esh founded and by whom?
- Esh was founded in May 2017 by Yuval Aloni, with Nir Zuk, the creator of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks, also involved in its founding.
- What was the outcome of the acquisition by Bank Hapoalim (IsraCard)?
- Esh was acquired by Bank Hapoalim (IsraCard) in March 2026, but the deal was reported to have collapsed in July 2026 after months of negotiations and due diligence ended without a binding agreement.
- What was the valuation of Esh in its latest investment round?
- In January 2023, Esh's new digital bank was valued at over $500 million in an investment round that included Clal Insurance.
- What significant regulatory approval did Esh receive?
- In December 2022, the Bank of Israel approved the establishment of Esh as a new bank.