Bill Ackman, billionaire founder and chief executive of US hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, says in an exclusive interview with "Globes" that he intends to invest $1 billion in companies in Israel.
Ackman holds a 5% stake in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and is an enthusiastic supporter of Israel. His is one of the most prominent voices in the fight against anti-Semitism in the US, and he conducted a campaign against the policies of Harvard University on this issue.
"The public markets here are too small for Pershing Square," he says. "I'm an investor here in some venture capital funds. I'm absolutely interested in investing in Israeli startups. We have an entity called Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, which is an acquisition company that we created. It's not a SPAC. It's what we call a SPARC, a special purpose acquisition rights company, and it's an entity that we can use to facilitate the public offering of any company around the world
"I'd love to take an Israeli company public through our SPARC, but it has to be a big company. The minimum equity investment would be a billion and a quarter. So I am having meetings with some founders while I'm here. A way for Pershing to invest in Israel would be through this entity."
Ackman also commented on the forthcoming interest rate decision that has raised a storm in the US. "I think the fed is likely to lower interest rates this month by 25 basis points. There is evidence of some slowing of the economy, some, you know, reduction in employment and inflation has come down meaningfully," he says. Asked whether, in view of US President Trump’s pressure to cut interest rates, he fears for the Federal Reserve’s independence, Ackman responds that he does not. "We have very strong institutions in the US, and the Fed is one of them. President Trump may be right that interest rates should be cut, but it’s not helpful when he says it," Ackman told "Globes."
"We’ll never sell our shares in the stock exchange"
Earlier today, Ackman participated in the opening ceremony at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, where he said, "I think that we’re close to the end of the war and on the way to prosperity, peace. I’m very optimistic about the future. I believe that the Abraham Accords will be expanded."
Ackman, who bought 5% of the shares in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange together with his wife Neri Oxman in January 2024, talked about the process. "On October 8, 2023, Neri and I stared to think about what to do to help Israel. I received a phone call from Jefferies. They proposed that I should have a meeting with the stock exchange. I said that Pershing Square didn’t invest outside the US, but that I would meet them. I head an amazing story from the business point of view. I had five minutes to decide. I can’t invest in public companies not through Pershing Square, but this was too small an investment, $25 million. I said to myself, for the first time in my life I’ll ask for permission to invest in a public company. I thought that it was an excellent way of expressing support."
Ackman thanked Tel Aviv Stock Exchange CEO Ittai Ben-Zeev, chairperson Eugene Kandel, and all the employees for "the best investment I’ve ever made," and added, "I thought it would be a good investment, but I did it also to show support and express confidence in the economy. My wife and I will never sell the shares, you’re stuck with us."
For his part, Ben-Zeev thanked Ackman for his "unconditional support and love" for the country.
Since Ackman and his wife bought their stake in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in January 2024, the shares have yielded a return of about 300%.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 9, 2025.
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