Nothing much changed after the 2011 "Cost of Living" protests, apart from coffee that is. Businessman Avi Katz smashed the take-away coffee scene when he opened Coffix, a chain of kiosks serving macchiatos, mochas, and more for a fixed price of 5 NIS. That's 60 percent cheaper than everyone else. Last week, the first SuperCoffix opened - a fixed-price supermarket where all items cost up to 5 NIS. TLV1's Niv Elis went to check it out and ask the founders, "What next in the Israeli food revolution?"

Last year’s Ease of Doing Business rankings saw Israel slip from 23rd place to 106th in just 8 years. Basically, there's just too much red tape here. The government announced that “over-regulation” would be one of the first things they would tackle.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a marketplace for kids to create and exchange educational games? Crazy as it sounds, it already exists. Tiny Tap, an Israeli company headquartered in San Francisco, allows grown-ups and kids alike make apps of all sorts, from quizzes to games, and then share them.

Last week, Stephane Richard, the CEO of the major French telecommunications corporation Orange SA, got up in front of a crowd in Egypt and told them he’d “sever ties with Israel tomorrow” if he could. A diplomatic maelstrom then ensued : This was the first time a BDS had seeped into the corporate world. (And not least because Orange had only just renewed its Israeli contract in March).

Technology is changing the face of banking. Beyond the ease of apps and other conveniences, the wave of fin-tech is also changing the way people invest their money, and the role of advisors. Abigdor Avni and Chaim Natan from UBank, our sponsor, explain to host Niv Elis how.

Israel’s new finance minister Moshe Kahlon came into office promising to break up monopolies. During his campaign he vowed to tackle the most egregiously monopolized sectors: Banks, land, and of course natural gas. Last week, the government announced a compromise deal with gas companies that led the anti-trust regulator David Gilo to quit in protest, saying it wouldn’t introduce enough competition. Kahlon stayed silent, and now he's recused himself of all gas-related decisions because of his close, personal relationship with Kobi Maimon - a major gas magnate who owns Isramco. <p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-heigh

Wikipedia has become one of the most ubiquitous websites in the world. Its co-founder, Jimmy Wales, talks to Niv Elis about how the website challenges censorship rules in oppressive regimes, overcomes "truthiness," and deals with the gender imbalance among the wikipedian community.

Israel is a start-up nation built for entrepreneurs and the investors who make bank with spectacular exits. But what about the rest of us? Cue ExitValley, a crowd-investing platform for funding early stage start-ups and small businesses.

At 43% unemployment and 60% youth unemployment, Gaza’s economy is in critical condition, according to a recent World Bank report. Per capita, its real GDP has actually dropped almost a third in the past twenty years. Gregg Carlstrom, correspondent for The Economist magazine explains which industries were worst hit and the obstacles they are currently facing.

This weekend, 86-year-old mathematician John Nash and his wife Alicia were killed in a taxi-cab accident in New Jersey. In 1950, Nash won a Nobel Prize for his theory on non cooperative games, also known as 'game theory' - a cornerstone of modern economics, sociopolitical theory and military strategy. In 2001, Russell Crowe played John Nash in the award-winning biopic 'A Beautiful Mind.' Prof. Abraham Neyman, member of the Federman Center for the Study of Rationality at Hebrew University, tells host Niv Elis about Nash's mathematical legacy, and his incredible determination to beat his illness.

Yesterday, David Gilo, head of Israel’s antitrust authority, announced his resignation in protest at the revised arrangement between Israel's two biggest gas suppliers, claiming it falls short of true competition. Sharon Udasin, Energy Reporter at the Jerusalem Post, gives host Niv Elis the details.

Take your tablet and plug in a sensor hub that allows you to record data on UV, heart rate, and temperature - and your tablet turns into a mini science lab! Ken Zwiebel, CEO of Fourier Education, the company behind Labmate, describes the ramifications to host Niv Elis.

What’s more unsettling: The fact that Israel’s new economy minister has no formal economics training? Or that he served a 22-month jail sentence for corruption and bribery committed as Israel's Interior Minister? David Rosenberg, economics editor at Ha'aretz in English, tells host Niv Elis what to expect from this populist politician.

The price war over internet packages started last week, with a 30 percent price drop in Xfone's phone line and broadband bundle. Then, Cellcom came out with a triple package of Internet, mobile and Netflix-style TV, at a bargain 150 NIS. Both moves were enabled by a reform allowing service providers to lease usage of high-speed Internet infrastructure and sell it as their own. Chaim Natan, manager of the Ra'anana branch of UBank, tells host Niv Elis how this is likely to play out in the markets, and if Netanyahu firing the di

Israel has fallen 19 spots in the World Economic Forum’s Global Travel and Tourism Report, from 53rd place in 2013 to 72nd place today. Even among Middle East countries, it went from third to seventh place, as high prices, the strong shekel, and fears of terrorism pulled it down the ranking. In terms of price competitiveness, Israel is sixth from bottom, making it the most expensive holiday destination of any country except Norway, Australia, France, the UK, and Switzerland. Hanna Ifergan, deputy head of Development and Touri

As part of a plan to help reduce inequality, incoming Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon is proposing an estate tax, referred to derisively as the "death tax." If a tax of 10-15 percent were imposed on estates worth NIS 10 million or more, the tax would bring in NIS 1.5-2.5 billion a year. That could also pay for the very costly promises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made during his coalition negotiations. Kyrill Shraberman, a tax researcher at the TAUB Center for social policy studies, discusses with host Niv Elis.

Bitcoin gain momentum due to its similarities with cash - no traces, no transparency, no oversight. But that proved to have drawbacks, mainly no consumer protection. Enter Bitrated, an Israeli start-up that’s looking to solve those problems and help make bitcoin a little safer. Nadav Ivgi, Bitrated founder & CEO, explains how it works for host Niv Elis.

Israel’s interest rates have been at historic lows since August, first falling to 0.25% and then to their current nadir of 0.1%. But as Europe ramps up its Quantitative Easing program and the shekel remains strong, the Bank of Israel is under pressure to take action. One possible solution is negative interest rates, which would essentially mean that lenders have to pay people to borrow their money instead of the opposite. Is such a topsy-turvy world around the corner? Chaim Natan, manager of the Ra'anana branch of UBank and a CFA charter holder explains to host Niv Elis. <p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24

A study by Visa estimated that in 2013, the size of the untaxed shadow economy added up to 18.9% of GDP in Israel, worth an estimated NIS 185 billion. The voluntary disclosure procedure gives people a final chance to declare their worldwide capital before it’s too late. Guy Reshtick, Head of the Tax Department at Baker Tilly has all the details for host Niv Elis.

The final day of reckoning is just around the corner: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has to seal up his coalition deals this week, or someone else will get a chance to form the government.

Kama-tech, an accelerator aimed at integrating ultra-Orthodox Jews in high-tech, has applications from over 200 Haredi start-ups. That's great news to those who want to see greater integration from the Haredi community. But many of the most successful and prominent Haredi entrepreneurs seem to come from abroad. Are programs aimed at helping Israel's Haredim, who face different barriers than foreign-born Haredim, missing the mark? Host Niv Elis explores.

Israelis have gotten used to paying for parking tickets on their mobile phones. Pango+, the parking app teamed up with local government to make parking payment really easy, has been a huge hit. The service nearly was nearly suspended last week after a bureaucratic nightmare stopped it from renewing its centralized contract with local authorities before the old one ran out. All through the holidays, Pango+ made a mad dash to sign deals with individual municipalities to ensure its service didn’t go out this week. Tali Brostovsky, Product Manager at Pango+, describes to host Niv Elis what happened and what Pango+ users can expect going forward.

Last week, Teva, one of Israel’s largest companies and the world’s largest generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer, made an offer to buy its competitor Mylan for $40 billion. Mylan was publicly okay with the idea, but has not made any final declarations. One of the conditions for Teva’s deal was that Mylan forego its own attempt to buy Perrigo, another Israeli pharma company. Since then, Perrigo has turned down Mylan’s offer. So what will happen in this cat-and-mouse game of business mergers? Steven Tepper, Senior Research Analyst of Pharma and Biotech at Migdal Capital Markets explains to host Niv Elis just what this gargantuan deal means.

An Israeli start-up called TravelersBox has figured out that all unused foreign currency change travelers gather while abroad collects, and found a way to put it to good use instead. Tomer Zoosman, TravelersBox co-founder & CEO, tells host Niv Elis of the company's clever solution.  

Israel’s monthly inflation dipped into negative territory early this year, and its 12-month rolling average of inflation remains in the red. There were some signs of hope when the CPI for March came out last week, and showed a modest growth of 0.3%. That’s still below the 1-3% Bank of Israel target, and even below what forecasters expected. What will it take for Israel to return to normal inflation levels? Chaim Natan, manager of the Raanana branch of UBank and a CFA charter holder, explains how it affects investment to host Niv Elis.   <

Can it be? Is it true? Is Tel Aviv finally, after years of dithering and mistakes, ready to build a light rail? Will it at last be easy to get in and out of the city without horrendous traffic? Eventually that’s the plan, but the process of building is expected to make things difficult for commuters for at least five years. Globes reporter Hedy Cohen tells host Niv Elis what to expect.

The US urged its allies not to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which it felt would fail to meet accepted standards and undermine the role of the Washington-based World Bank. Well, Israel joined and the US isn't happy.

Alex Vaystikh, CTO at SecBi, a portfolio company of Jerusalem Venture Capital, explains why cyber attacks like the recent one by online 'hacktivist' group Anonymous may do more good than harm.

According to a report by the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in Israel, almost a quarter of Israeli Holocaust survivors live below the poverty line. Prof. Yahezkel Taller, a Holocaust survivor and a member of the Foundation, explains what can be done.

The truth behind Israel's low unemployment rate For all Israel's economic problems, the labor market has been a beacon of hope; Israel’s average unemployment has dropped to 5.3 percent, by some measures the lowest in its history. Dr. Itzhak Saporta of Tel Aviv University gives us the truth behind the statistics. How surveys affect elections and financial markets <p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16

What can Israel expect from the future government? It's coalition forming time for Netanyahu's Likud party. In Israeli politics, nothing is certain until everything is certain. Haaretz English Business Editor David Rosenberg unpacks the possibilities, and what they mean for the economy. The needle-free future of diabetes Four Israelis won Intel’s EM

How will elections affect Israel's economy? Tuesday, voters will (finally) go to the polls and select the 20th Knesset. That, however, is only the beginning. Once the dust settles and the numbers are in, the wheeling and dealing to build a coalition of 61 or more seats begins. What's at stake for Israel’s economy? Are negative interest rates on the horizon for Israel? <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size:

Tues. 9-11PM (Israel); 3-5PM (EST); 12-2PM (PT) Join TLV1 anchors Ilene Prusher and Gilad Halpern for LIVE coverage of Israel's election madness as the exit polls come out and the votes begin to be counted. We'll have TLV1 & Haaretz correspondents at the major campaign headquarters and special reports on the issues facing Israeli voters. Weds. 7AM (Israel); 1AM (EST); 10PM (PT) Listen to our special LIVE election panel of Noah Efron, Debra Kamin, and Gil Troy putting together the pieces of the jigsaw as the Israeli election results come in - that's when the political game really begins in the race to form a coalition.   Tune in LIVE at www.tlv

Will the Histadrut shut down the South on election day? Histadrut Labor Federation has continuously sparred with Israel Chemicals over a wave of layoffs.  Avital Shapira, Director of the International Department of the Histadrut, tells us the other side of the labor strife. Be a better Jew with the new Apple Watch With the unveiling of the new Apple

Israel's interest rate hits all-time low of 0.1% The markets thought that the Bank of Israel Governor was all out of tricks, but last week she got one over on them: Israel’s interest rate is now at 0.1 percent, lower than it’s ever been. Rafi Gozlan, Chief Economist at IBI investment House, weighs in. Has Israel's housing crisis reached a tipping point? <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; fo

Why the secret Swiss bank scandal is bad for the little guy Information leaked recently shows that Israel ranks sixth among countries whose citizens hold secret bank accounts in HSBC's Swiss private banking arm. Israeli Financial Advisor Aaron Katsman explains why this kind of legal tax evasion is bad for the little guy. Israel: Passing (natural) gas <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Ge

Who can bring down the cost of housing? Dr. Efrat Tolkowsky, the Academic director of the Chaim Katzman Gazit-Globe Real Estate Institute, analyzes the housing policies of the Kulanu and Zionist Camp parties, both of which have been promising to lower housing prices ahead of the elections. A 28-minute Tel Aviv-Jerusalem commute? <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roma

Israel's natural gas in crisis Last month, David Gilo, the head of the anti-trust authority, said that Noble Energy and Delek, the two companies with stakes in the two biggest gas fields, might be in a kind of cartel. S&P have warned that Israel’s credit rating could be affected... Is Israel a nation of failed startups?  <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bit

All good exits go to heaven It was the week from heaven for Israeli start-ups; a series of acquisitions and investments have amounted to $910 million, according to Geektime. The Wall Street Journal’s Orr Hirschauge explains why interest in Israeli start-ups is booming. The dark side of the start-up nation <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgi

Japanese PM Abe in Israel to strengthen economic ties The arrival of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has sent Israeli media into a frenzy. Currently, a mere 1.3 percent of Israel’s exports go to Japan, but Israel hopes to strengthen ties with the world’s third largest economy. We speak to Vered Farber, director of The Asian Institute. Israeli innovators join the Gates’ Grand Challenges Initiative <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:

How the new wave of French 'olim' could affect the economy The Jewish Agency expects to welcome approximately 14,000 new French immigrants or 'olim' in 2015. Gali Shahar, CEO of Gvahim, and Prof. Sergio DellaPergola of Hebrew University discuss the effect this community will have on the Israeli economy. Joining the big leagues: Wix buys Super Bowl ads <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51

 High-tech exits break record in 2014 2014 will go down in history as a record year for Israeli high-tech companies getting bought out or going public, according to a survey by PwC Israel. David Shamah, the Technology Editor at Times of Israel, discusses what led to this and what’s in store for 2015. Trajtenberg for Finance Minister? L

Sheshinski: Breaking up the natural gas monopoly may not be enough Last week, the anti-trust commissioner David Gilo caused nothing short of havoc by declaring Noble and Delek 'a cartel in the gas market'. Isn't it a little late for such conclusions, now that the Tamar field is already operational? How will Israeli regain its credibility with foreign investors? New Price Targeting plan won't make a dent on Israeli housing crisis <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New R

  How will the Russian ruble crisis affect the Israeli economy? When the Russian ruble collapsed in 1998 on the heels of the Asian currency crisis, it sent waves through global markets. Last week, the ruble collapsed again, losing 11 percent of its value against the dollar on Tuesday, its steepest one-day fall since the previous crisis. The last time around, Israel’s economy was pulled in to the crisis. What will the effect be this time around?   Shauli Katznelson, the Deputy Director General for Economics & Professional Services at The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute elucidates.   Controversy over TAUB poverty report Last week, The Taub Center for Social policy made headlines with its finding that 80% of Israelis could n

Can Kahlon bring real economic change? Former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon, famous for reforming Israel’s cellular market, has put economic reform at the center of his new 'Kulanu' party's platform. Can he succeed where others have failed? Haaretz's David Rosenberg says he may run into problems. Women who code Women are underrepresented in high

What do early elections mean for Israel's economy? When Israel’s Knesset dissolved itself this week after less than two years, it became one of the shortest sitting government’s in Israel’s history. Meirav Arlosoroff, senior columnist at The Marker, talks about the effects early elections have on the economy. 0% VAT mania! In March, then-Finance Min

Does the Histadrut have any choice but a general strike? As the debate over raising the minimum wage sizzles, the Histadrut is threatening to go on strike this coming Sunday. Professor Ayal Kimhi, Deputy Director of the TAUB Center for Social Policy Studies, shares his insight. Is the Israel-Europe gas pipeline just a load of hot air? <p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: 'Helvetica

Downgrade for Israel’s credit outlook by Fitch Rating For weeks, Finance Minister Yair Lapid has rebuffed critics of his 2015 budget by pointing to credit ratings agencies, saying that they have not shown alarm at his policies. Gilad Alper, chief strategist at Excellence Nessuah Brokerage explains why Israel should be worried. Has Lapid scuppered his very own rent control bill? <p style="margin: 0px 0px

Is Lapid’s “budget of hope” hopeless? Finance Minister Yair Lapid says his plan for 2015 is a “budget of hope,” but the politics around passing it sometimes seem totally hopeless. The economics editor of Haaretz in English has the details. Ministry of Economy: It’s the red tape, not import duty that makes living in Israel expensive A government committee published a report, in which it argues that import duties are not the reason of high retail prices in Israel. One of the report’s authors, Oz Katz, gives us the inside scoop Court ruling keeps Tel Aviv kiosks open on Shabbat…until further notice It’s been a long slog for Tel Aviv’s kiosks to win the right to stay open on Shabbat. Mickey Gitzin, Tel Aviv City Councilor from Meretz and chairman o

Israel’s minimum wage has to come up..but by how much? Discussions over increasing minimum wage in Israel have progressed from “if“ to “how much?” Meanwhile there have been rumors of implementing negative income tax to bump up the living wage. Globes reporter Amiram Barkat shares his insight. Storm in a teacup: Bibi and Lapid clash on how to lower Israeli food prices First came the cottage cheese protests, then the Milky media whirlwind and Israelis can’t wait any longer for food prices to come down. Dov Chernichovsky explains how prices became so high. How will ICL react to the Sheshinski 2’s new surtax? The Socio-Economic cabinet has approved the recommendations of the Sheshinski 2 committee to tax the excess profits of companies mining natur

Despite the backing it got from superstar Scarlett Johansson, SodaStream announced the closure of its controversial factory in the West Bank. Is this a victory for the BDS movement, or does the relocation to the Negev make better business sense? Jerusalem Post deputy managing editor Tovah Lazaroff says the decision was purely economic. Last week, the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company came out of the closet. But it’s not just any company, it’s the world’s most valuable: Apple. Tim Cook’s announcement is a big deal, but why is it so rare to see senior business people being open about their homosexuality

This week's show is hosted by David Rosenberg, Business editor for Haaretz in English: The zero percent interest rate that never was Fears that the bank would lower base interest rates to zero percent were quelled on Monday. Ori Greenfeld, Chief Economist at Psagot Ofek, states that while Israeli growth looks fairly healthy in comparison to Europe, the key concern is inflation rates.<

This week's show is hosted by David Rosenberg, Business editor for Haaretz in English: Can the 'Target Price' plan settle soaring house prices? Dr. Efrat Tolkowsky, CEO of the Gazit-Globe Real Estate Institute, evaluates a new affordable housing program set to go into effect as early as December this year, and to run in conjunction with Yair Lapid’s controversial 0% VAT plan. <p style="margin: 0px 0px 8

This week's show is hosted by David Rosenberg, Business editor for Haaretz in English What ever became of the War on Poverty panel’s big plan? Earlier this year, a War on Poverty panel presented the government with a detailed plan to tackle Israel's stark income inequality. Professor Ayal Kimhi, deputy director of the TAUB Center, describes what became of the panel’s recommendations. <p style="margin: 0

11 government-owned companies to be privatized David Rosenberg, Business editor for Haaretz in English, is in the TLV1 studio to explain what this sale of government stakes means for the companies, the services they offer, and the Histadrut-backed workers who may not like what awaits them. Compromise deal to protect JNF's 'special status' <p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-overflow: ellipsis; word-wrap

Israel has a budget plan! It just doesn't add up As details of the Netanyahu-Lapid 2015 budget plan emerge, it seems the numbers don't add up. TheMarker's Meirav Arlosoroff explains why the deficit is too damn high, and what tricky tactics the government is using to fudge the debate. Will US Arab Bank ruling choke terror or stifle lending? <p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-overflow: ellipsis; word-wra

S&P: Security a greater threat to credit rating than 2015 deficit S&P Sovereign Credit Analyst Elliot Hentov says Israel's credit rating will probably not be thrown off by a spike in this year's deficit, provided it comes back down in the coming years. More worrying for the credit rating, he added, is Israel's security outlook. Histadrut threatens general strike over postal workers <p style="margin: 0px

Uber faces off with GetTaxi in Tel Aviv Smartphone taxi service Uber is creating an 'AirBNB'-type function called 'UberX,' which will require the government to change some regulations, and has career cab-drivers worried about their jobs. Uber Israel CEO Yoni Greifman talks to us about the controversy. Are Israel Chemicals lay-offs an economic reality or a regulatory bargaining chip? <p style="margin: 0p

Israel nears $60 billion gas export deal with Egypt Dr. Amit Mor, CEO and co-owner of Eco Energy Consulting Strategic Investments, says that Israel's neighbors need gas enough to help navigate the tricky Middle East politics. Real estate companies in trouble as 0% VAT freezes market <p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-overflow: ellipsis; word-wrap: break-word; color: #393939; font-family: 'Helvetica Neu

Freedom to rest or freedom to shop? Attorney Ivri Feingold represents the small business owners that initiated the shabbat opening laws case against Tel Aviv. He argues that chains opening on Saturday are unfair to small businesses, even if Tel Aviv's residents prefer keeping them open. Will an EU ban on settlement goods cause real economic damage? <p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-overflow: ellipsis;