Bank of Israel Extends Digital-Mail Consultation Until November 30

Banking Supervisor Daniel Hahiashvili said on Friday that the public consultation on proposed digital delivery of bank notices would remain open until November 30. He also said the directive would not take effect before another discussion in the Knesset Economy Committee. The proposal would let banks make digital delivery the default without customers first requesting it. In his response to five lawmakers seeking a freeze, Hahiashvili said 92% of banking transactions already take place through direct channels. He argued that digital notices would provide faster access to financial information in one place. The proposed change would exclude customers aged 70 and over and those who had not used their bank’s website or application in the preceding year. Other customers would receive an explanation before switching and could return to physical mail. Gilad Kariv, Efrat Reiten, Almog Cohen, Ahmad Tibi and Yitzhak Pindrus had written to Governor Amir Yaron and the supervisor. They warned that customers with limited digital skills, including older people, immigrants and communities less accustomed to digital services, could miss notices about overdrafts or unexpected charges. “For these populations, physical mail is not a privilege but a basic and essential service,” the lawmakers wrote. They sought explicit customer consent rather than relying on exemptions and an option to request paper. The lawmakers objected to the consultation document’s November 3 release during the transition between Knessets, before the new Economy Committee was established. They requested an urgent committee discussion once it is formed, with banking-supervision representatives and relevant organizations.