ONE ZERO

ONE ZERO Digital Bank was founded in 2019 by Prof. Amnon Shashua. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, it is a private company operating as a fully digital, branchless bank. In December 2019, it received a banking license from the Bank of Israel, becoming the first new bank established in the country in 43 years. The bank officially launched to the general public in August 2022.

The bank provides retail banking services via a mobile app, including checking accounts, credit cards, loans, deposits, and foreign currency exchange. ONE ZERO operates on a subscription-based pricing model, charging a fixed monthly fee (such as its "One" plan at 49 NIS per month) rather than traditional per-action banking commissions. The technological infrastructure is built on the TCS BaNCS core banking platform, integrated with a proprietary AI-based financial assistant named "Ella" that analyzes account activity to provide automated daily insights and cash flow management.

ONE ZERO competes directly with the traditional Israeli banking establishment, including Bank Leumi, Bank Hapoalim, and Israel Discount Bank, as well as incumbent digital offerings like Leumi's Pepper. The company has raised capital from international strategic investors, including Julius Baer, Tencent, SBI Holdings, and Banca Generali. In early 2024, the bank conducted a restructuring that resulted in the layoff of several dozen employees. This move coincided with a strategic decision to pause its planned international expansion into Italy and focus on achieving profitability in the local Israeli market.

The company’s operations and R&D are centralized in Tel Aviv. It hires across software engineering, AI, financial operations, customer support, and regulatory compliance. As an Israeli retail bank, its immediate target market is the local population, and it operates under the strict regulatory oversight of the Bank of Israel's Banking Supervision Department.