This morning’s Opening Bell Ceremony on TASE marked the reveal of the ESG rating by Maala Corporate Social Responsibility for 2025.
In addition, the Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality ratings for 2025 were revealed, alongside social trends arising from this year’s ratings, on the backdrop of the war.
Among the outstanding figures revealed by the rating this year is a surge in total corporate donations for 2024, reaching NIS 960 million, compared to NIS 800 million in 2023 and NIS 590 million in 2022, prior to the war.Close to 160 companies participated in this year's rating.
The distinguished participants of the ceremony included the Chair of Maala and Chair of Isracard, Tamar Yassur; the CEO of Maala, Momo Mahadav; EVP, Head of the Economics Department at TASE, Ron Klein, and many other market executives, alongside captivity survivor, Eli Sharabi, who spoke at the event and empasized the critical importance of keeping hope alive and maintaining an optimistic outlook on the future of Israeli society.
In addition to publishing the rating, Maala collaborates with the Office of the President in “Time to Talk – The President's Initiative for Dialogue," a program that aims to engage the business sector in addressing the escalating polarization within Israeli society.
Tamar Yassur, Chair of Maala and Chair of Isracard: “Despite the continuous crises and challenging events of recent years, the commitment of Israeli companies to corporate social responsibility has not diminished; rather, it has expanded and deepened. It is remarkable that even as businesses directly contend with adverse impacts, their dedication to corporate social responsibility has only intensified.
The annual Maala rating consistently highlights managed and measurable processes, from which we can deduce that corporate social responsibility in Israel has deep and long-term roots.
This commitment to corporate social responsibility stems not solely from economic capability, but also from a consistent choice to act responsibly, despite the inherent difficulties.
This deliberate choice strengthens resilience, boosts the public’s confidence, and fosters stability and growth – values that the Israeli economy and society desperately need, especially during this period.”
Momo Mahadav, CEO of Maala: “This marks the second consecutive year the Maala ESG rating has been conducted at wartime. This year's figures highlight the unwavering commitment of the business sector to address social needs, as evidenced by the further surge in total donations. At the same time, even with attention drawn elsewhere by urgent demands, diversity and environmental initiatives have kept momentum. The Maala rating underscores how workplaces are evolving into vital anchors, providing employees with not only a secure physical environment but also crucial stability, a sense of meaning, and collective solidarity. This deepening of corporate social responsibility is truly remarkable and heartening, particularly as businesses juggle the vital tasks of staying afloat, keeping operations running smoothly, and looking after their employees and their loved ones."
Ron Klein, EVP, Head of the Economics Department at TASE: “We are delighted to see a lineup of leading companies today that have chosen to evaluate themselves not only by their returns or quarterly reports, but also by their impact on the environment, society, and the communities in which they operate – especially during this challenging period. TASE launched the TA-Maala Index over 20 years ago, long before ESG became a global trend. Today, the index includes 46 companies with a combined market cap of NIS 705 billion, close to half of the total market cap of all TASE-listed shares. Since its inception, the index has generated a yield of 520%, compared to a yield of 360% for the TA-125 Index over the same period. This figure powerfully illustrates that ESG factors are not a trade-off with financial gain; instead, they often fuel it.”
Among the dignitaries to press the Opening Bell - a notable group of market executives that head the companies included in the Maala Index: bank executives - Chairman of Bank Hapoalim, Noam Hanegbi; CEO of Discount Bank, Avi Levy; CEO of Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank, Moshe Larry;CEO of Bezeq, Nir David; CEO of ZIM, Eli Glickman; CEO of Tnuva, Gadi Cunia; CEO of ICL, Elad Aharonson; Chairman and CEO of Assuta, Prof. Shuki Shemer and Gidi Leshetz; Chair and CEO of Isracard, Tamar Yassur and Ran Oz; CEO of L’Oréal, Elie Sagiv; CEO and Chairman of Migdal, Ronen Agassi and Ronni Gamzu; CEO of Ayalon Highways, Orly Stern; CEO of Fattal, Avia Magen; CEO of Gornitzky, Adi Nahmias; CEO of AIG, Yfat Reiter; CEO of Schindler Elevators, Anat Cohen; CEO of Dan Hotels, Shlomi Tahan; and more.
Photography credit: Guy Yechiely
