CEO Reflection: 2021 Achievements and Moving Forward

A new year calls for a time of reflection. As I look back on 2021, and the bank’s performance, the one word that immediately comes to mind for me is “growth.” After a challenging year in 2020, our business, services, and teams not only adapted to the obstacles presented, but rose to the challenge and were strengthened as a result. I am especially proud of the numerous milestones and significant successes that we experienced across the bank throughout 2021.

A key milestone for us in 2021 was the decision to reorganize the bank’s divisions. The changes made resulted in BHI better serving our clients, by having the ability to be more focused on specific product lines and services in effort to grow the bank while continuing to provide excellent client service. In particular, I would like to highlight the hi-tech, commercial real estate, commercial & industrial, and the commercial & industrial Israeli Business teams, all of which experienced exponential growth under new leadership and our enhanced value proposition. We also continued the expansion of our products and services by serving new sectors, such as renewable energy.

Overall, we posted robust financial results in 2021, bringing in a significant volume of new business and exceeding our goals in terms of originating deals and increasing deposits. Revenues increased in the double-digits, deposits rose by more than 20%, and our teams booked more than $2.5 billion in new credit facilities.

Our clients are our greatest partners and their continued confidence in BHI demonstrates their steadfast support. I wish to thank our existing and new clients for their consistent support and loyalty. I am optimistic that 2022 will be another successful year for our partnership and continued growth for your business and our bank.

The backbone of our bank and what fuels our success is our dedicated BHI employees.  Thank you for remaining resilient, solutions-oriented, client centric, and always ready to maintain your high level of work product, whether working remotely or in a hybrid model. We continue to have significant opportunities to expand our teams, and in fact welcomed 55 new employees across the bank last year.  I would also like to extend our thanks to Bank Hapoalim Group management and employees in Israel for their continued support.

I am confident that 2022 will be another exciting and successful year for BHI and our clients. I encourage all of us to continue the spirit of collaboration and hard work to be the best banking partner by delivering products, services, and support that meet our clients’ needs.

I wish everyone a healthy and successful 2022!

Gil Karni

CEO, BHI