Credit Data Law, 5776-2016
חוק נתוני אשראי, תשע"ו-2016
Published: 2016-04-12Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-07-30 · Last amended 2026-07-26✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-17
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
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The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.
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Section E: Investigation of Public Complaints
Investigation of Public Complaints§
78.
(a)The Commissioner shall investigate public complaints regarding an act of a credit bureau, a business information bureau, an information source transferring information to the database under Chapter VI, a user of credit data and an authorised agent for consideration, as well as complaints connected with the operation of the database.
(b)Where a complaint relates to a matter in respect of which proceedings have commenced before a court or arbitrator, or to a matter that has been decided by a court or arbitrator, the Commissioner shall take this into account within the framework of the Commissioner's considerations as to whether to investigate the complaint.
Methods of Investigation§
79.
(a)The investigation of a complaint shall be conducted in such manner as the Commissioner sees fit, and the Commissioner shall not be bound by rules of procedure or rules of evidence.
(b)The Commissioner shall bring the complaint to the attention of the respondent and shall afford the respondent an opportunity to reply thereto; where the complaint relates to a credit bureau, the Commissioner shall also notify the public enquiries officer thereof.
(c)Where a complainant has requested to appear before the Commissioner, the Commissioner may summon the complainant for the purpose of hearing the complainant.
Complaint Relating to Harm to Privacy§
80.
Where a complaint relates to harm to privacy, the Commissioner shall also bring it to the attention of the Commissioner for the Protection of Privacy, and may consult with that Commissioner for the purpose of investigating the complaint.
Outcome of the Investigation§
81.
(a)Where the Commissioner finds that the complaint was justified, the Commissioner shall notify the complainant and the respondent accordingly; the Commissioner may set out in the response a summary of the Commissioner's findings, and may direct the respondent to remedy a deficiency revealed by the investigation, whether with respect to the particular case that was the subject of the complaint or generally, in the manner and by the time directed, and the Commissioner may direct the database administrator to correct the information in the database; where the Commissioner has directed the correction of information in the database, the provisions of section 57 shall apply, with the necessary modifications.
(b)Where the Commissioner finds that the complaint is not justified, or that it does not warrant investigation by the Commissioner, the Commissioner shall notify the complainant and the respondent accordingly, and may set out in the response a summary of the Commissioner's findings.
(c)Where the investigation gives rise to a suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed, the Commissioner shall bring the matter to the attention of the Attorney General.
Publication of Methods for Filing Complaints§
82.
The methods for filing complaints shall be published on the Bank of Israel's website, in clear and plain language, in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian.
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Contact Us →Chapter XII: Supervision
Definitions – Chapter XII§
83.
In this Chapter –
"system data" – one of the following:
(1)data on the holding and management of information and information databases, by a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau, and the use thereof, which are required for the purpose of supervising the implementation of the provisions under this Law by the bureau, provided that they do not include identified information;
(2)records that a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau is required to keep under this Law, in the course of managing, holding or using an information database;
"computer", "computer material", "penetration of computer material" and "output" – as defined in the Computers Law, 5755-1995.
Authorisation of Inspectors§
84.
(a)The Commissioner shall authorise, from among the employees of the Bank of Israel, inspectors who shall be vested with the powers under this Chapter, for the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions under this Law; notice of the appointment of an inspector and of any change with respect to an appointment shall be published on the Bank of Israel's website in a manner that enables changes made to be tracked.
(b)A person shall not be appointed as an inspector under the provisions of subsection (a) unless all of the following conditions are met in respect of that person:
(1)the person has not been convicted and no indictment has been filed against the person for an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the person, in the Commissioner's opinion, unfit to be an inspector;
(2)the person has received training in the area of the powers to be vested in the person under this Chapter, as directed by the Commissioner;
(3)the person meets additional eligibility conditions as directed by the Commissioner;
(4)with respect to the powers under sections 85(4) and 86 – the person is skilled in performing acts of access to computer material and producing output by means of such access.
Powers of an Inspector§
85.
For the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions under this Law, an inspector may –
(1)require any person to provide the inspector with that person's name and address and to present to the inspector an identity card or other official document identifying that person;
(2)require any person concerned to provide the inspector with any information or document, including output, that may ensure compliance with the provisions under this Law;
(3)require any person concerned to present to the inspector or to provide the inspector with a copy of computer material containing system data or sample information required for the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions under this Law; sample information under this paragraph shall be required only to the extent necessary for the realisation of the supervisory purposes;
(4)access computer material of a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau, in accordance with the provisions of section 86;
(5)enter any premises to which entry is required for the purpose of carrying out the inspector's functions and in which a supervised body operates, or any premises that the inspector has reasonable grounds to believe a supervised body operates in, provided that the inspector shall not enter premises used as a dwelling except pursuant to a court order; for this purpose, "supervised body" means a credit bureau, a traders' information bureau, an information source that transfers information to the database, a credit data user or a paid attorney-in-fact.
Access to Computer Material of a Credit Bureau or a Traders' Information Bureau§
86.
For the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions under this Law by a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau, an inspector in respect of whom the provisions of paragraphs (1) to (4) of section 77(b) are satisfied may –
(1)access computer material of a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau for the purpose of copying the system data contained therein, copy such system data and produce output therefrom, provided that access to computer material shall not be carried out if it is not directly required for the purpose of locating and copying the system data;
(2)access computer material of a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau for the purpose of collecting sample information; sample information under this paragraph shall be collected only to the extent necessary for the realisation of the supervisory purposes;
(3)access computer material of a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau for the purpose of copying information concerning a customer, copy such information and produce output therefrom, provided that the customer has given prior written consent thereto and that access to computer material shall not be carried out if it is not directly required for the purpose of locating and copying the information concerning that customer.
Requirement of Computer Material or Access to Computer Material – Assistance of an Expert and Deletion of Information§
87.
(a)For the purpose of exercising the powers under paragraphs (3) and (4) of section 85, an inspector may enlist the assistance of an expert, even if that expert is not an employee of the Bank of Israel, for the purpose of conducting an examination at the premises where the person from whom computer material is required under those paragraphs operates, and for the purpose of requiring the computer material or accessing the computer material, if experience, knowledge or means not available to the inspector are required therefor, provided that the inspector is present at the premises during the performance of the operations by the expert and supervises their performance; the inspector shall notify the expert of the duty of confidentiality applicable to the expert.
(b)Sample information collected under section 85(3) or (4) shall be deleted from the Bank of Israel's information databases upon the conclusion of the supervisory proceedings for the purpose of which it was collected, but no later than six months from the date of its delivery or collection, or at a later date to be determined by the Minister.
Duty of Identification§
88.
An inspector shall not exercise the powers vested in the inspector under this Chapter except in the course of carrying out the inspector's functions and where both of the following conditions are met:
(1)the inspector is visibly wearing a badge identifying the inspector and the inspector's function;
(2)the inspector holds a certificate signed by the Commissioner attesting to the inspector's function and powers, which the inspector shall present upon request.
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Contact Us →Chapter XIII: Penalties
Penalties§
89.
(a)The following are liable to the fine prescribed in section 61(a)(1) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977:
(1)a credit provider who requested a credit indication from a credit bureau without notifying the customer thereof, contrary to the provisions of section 33;
(2)an electricity company that requested an indication as to whether to take collection measures against a customer without sending the customer notice thereof, contrary to the provisions of section 37.
(b)The following are liable to the fine prescribed in section 61(a)(3) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977:
(1)a person who used credit data received from the database for a purpose other than that for which they were requested, contrary to the provisions of section 25;
(2)a credit bureau that copied or retained non-identified information, contrary to the provisions of section 45(b);
(3)a credit bureau or a paid attorney-in-fact that held credit data beyond the period referred to in section 49;
(4)a credit provider that held a credit report beyond the period of the credit transaction, contrary to the provisions of section 53, or that did not delete the credit report within the period referred to in that section;
(5)a person who came into possession of non-identified information originating from the database and performed an operation to identify the customer to whom the information relates, contrary to the provisions of section 58(b);
(6)a traders' information bureau that held information it collected in the course of providing a traders' information service for a period of less than seven years from the date of receipt of the information, contrary to the provisions of section 65.
(c)The following are liable to three years' imprisonment or the fine prescribed in section 61(a)(4) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977:
(1)a person who collected credit data, held them for the purpose of transferring them to another or transferred them to another, by way of business, contrary to the provisions of section 4;
(2)a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau that operated otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of its licence, contrary to the provisions of sections 5 or 6, as the case may be;
(3)a credit bureau engaged in an occupation that is neither a credit data service nor an additional permitted occupation pursuant to a determination by the Governor, contrary to the provisions of section 12(b);
(4)a credit provider who requested a credit report from a credit bureau without having obtained the customer's consent thereto, contrary to the provisions of section 27;
(5)a credit bureau that took into account, in respect of its statistical model, in respect of a credit indication for a customer and in respect of the customer's credit rating, or a traders' information bureau that took into account in respect of the credit rating of a trader, data concerning the customer's or trader's sex, age, sexual orientation, race, religion, country of origin, nationality, place of residence, or family or health status, contrary to the provisions of section 51 or 63, as the case may be;
(6)a person who disclosed information concerning a customer that came to that person's knowledge under this Law or used such information, contrary to the provisions of section 58(a).
Liability of an Office Holder§
90.
(a)An office holder in a corporation is obliged to supervise and to do everything possible to prevent an offence under this Chapter by the corporation or by any of its employees; a person who contravenes this provision is liable to half the fine for that offence.
(b)Where an offence under this Chapter has been committed by a corporation or by any of its employees, it shall be presumed that an office holder in the corporation has breached the office holder's duty under subsection (a), unless the office holder proves that the office holder did everything possible to fulfil that duty.
(c)In this section, "office holder" means an active director in a corporation, a partner other than a limited partner, or an officer responsible on behalf of the corporation for the area in which the offence was committed.
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Contact Us →Chapter XIV: Financial Sanctions
Definitions – Chapter XIV§
91.
In this Chapter, "the base amount" means an amount as set out below, as the case may be:
(1)with respect to a credit bureau, a traders' information bureau, an information source that transfers information to the database and a credit data user – NIS 229,790;
(2)with respect to a paid attorney-in-fact – NIS 11,490, and if the paid attorney-in-fact is a corporation – NIS 57,440.
Financial Sanction§
92.
(a)Where a person has operated a credit data service or a traders' information service without holding a licence therefor, contrary to the provisions of sections 5 or 6, the Commissioner may impose on that person a financial sanction under the provisions of this Chapter, in the amount of NIS 57,440.
(b)Where a person has contravened a provision of the provisions under this Law, as set out below, the Commissioner may impose on that person a financial sanction under the provisions of this Chapter in the base amount:
(1)a credit bureau or a traders' information bureau that operated otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of its licence, contrary to the provisions of sections 5 or 6, as the case may be;
(2)a credit bureau whose licence was revoked and that operated otherwise than in accordance with the Commissioner's directions under section 11(d);
(3)a credit bureau engaged in an occupation that is neither a credit data service nor an additional permitted occupation pursuant to a determination by the Governor, contrary to the provisions of section 12(b);
(4)a credit bureau that made the provision of a service conditional upon another service or upon a service designated as an additional occupation, contrary to the provisions of section 14;
(5)a credit bureau that did not appoint a public enquiries officer, contrary to the provisions of section 15;
(6)an information source that is obliged to transfer information to the database under section 19 and did not transfer it in accordance with the provisions of that section;
(7)an authorised source that transferred information to the database otherwise than in accordance with the provisions under section 19(d);
(8)an information source that did not take measures to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the credit data it transferred to the database, contrary to the Governor's directions under section 19(f), or that transferred credit data contrary to the Governor's directions under section 19(g);
(9)a person who used credit data received from the database for a purpose other than that for which they were requested, contrary to the provisions of section 25;
(10)a credit bureau that requested credit data from the Bank of Israel for the purpose of preparing a credit report without the conditions for the transfer of data for the purpose of preparing a credit report having been met in the request, contrary to the provisions of section 28;
(11)a credit provider that received a credit report for the purpose of entering into a credit transaction or that received a credit report for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the conditions of a transaction into which the credit provider had entered and adversely altered the conditions of the transaction without immediately notifying the customer thereof or providing the customer with details of the credit bureau from which the credit report was received, contrary to the provisions of section 31(a);
(12)a credit provider or a credit bureau that did not deliver the credit report to the customer, contrary to the provisions under section 31(b);
(13)a credit bureau that requested from the Bank of Israel a standard data consolidation report on behalf of a paid attorney-in-fact without the conditions for the transfer of a data consolidation report having been met in the request, contrary to the provisions of section 41;
(14)a credit bureau that copied or retained non-identified information, contrary to the provisions of section 45(b);
(15)a credit bureau or a paid attorney-in-fact that held credit data beyond the period referred to in section 49;
(16)a credit bureau that collected a payment in an amount exceeding the maximum amount determined by the Governor, contrary to the provisions under section 50;
(17)a credit data user that took into account a non-current credit report, contrary to the provisions of section 52(a);
(18)a credit provider that took into account a non-current credit indication, contrary to the provisions of section 52(b);
(19)a credit data user that held a credit report beyond the period of the credit transaction, contrary to the provisions of section 53, or that did not delete the credit report within the period referred to in that section;
(20)a credit bureau that transferred credit data to a credit data user or to a paid attorney-in-fact, contrary to the Commissioner's directions under section 54;
(21)an information source that did not notify the Bank of Israel of credit data that are incomplete or inaccurate or that have changed, or that did not transfer the updated data, in accordance with the Commissioner's directions, contrary to the provisions of section 55;
(22)an information source that did not transfer to the Bank of Israel the results of an investigation it conducted or updated information, contrary to the provisions of section 56(c);
(23)an information source that contravened a provision of the provisions determined by the Governor under section 60(c);
(24)a traders' information bureau that contravened provisions determined by the Minister under paragraphs (1) to (4) of section 64;
(25)a traders' information bureau that held information it collected in the course of providing a traders' information service for a period of less than seven years from the date of receipt of the information, contrary to the provisions of section 65;
(26)a person who contravened a provision of the Commissioner's directions under section 68.
Notice of Intention to Charge§
93.
(a)Where the Commissioner has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has contravened a provision of the provisions under this Law, as referred to in section 92 (in this Chapter – the violator), and intends to impose a financial sanction on that person under that section, the Commissioner shall deliver to the violator a notice of the intention to impose a financial sanction on the violator (in this Chapter – notice of intention to charge).
(b)In the notice of intention to charge, the Commissioner shall set out, inter alia, the following:
(1)the act or omission (in this Chapter – the act) constituting the contravention;
(2)the amount of the financial sanction and the period for its payment;
(3)the violator's right to submit arguments before the Commissioner under the provisions of section 94;
(4)the authority to add to the amount of the financial sanction in respect of a continuing contravention or a repeated contravention under the provisions of section 96, and the date from which a contravention shall be regarded as a continuing contravention for the purposes of that section.
Right to Submit Arguments§
94.
A violator to whom a notice of intention to charge has been delivered under the provisions of section 93 may submit arguments before the Commissioner, in writing or orally as decided by the Commissioner, with respect to the intention to impose a financial sanction on the violator and with respect to its amount, within 45 days of the date of delivery of the notice, and the Commissioner may extend that period by an additional period not exceeding 45 days.
Decision of the Commissioner and Payment Demand§
95.
(a)The Commissioner shall decide, after having considered the arguments submitted under section 94, whether to impose a financial sanction on the violator, and may reduce the amount of the financial sanction under the provisions of section 97.
(b)Where the Commissioner has decided under the provisions of subsection (a) –
(1)to impose a financial sanction on the violator – the Commissioner shall deliver to the violator a written demand to pay the financial sanction (in this Chapter – payment demand), in which the Commissioner shall set out, inter alia, the updated amount of the financial sanction and the period for its payment;
(2)not to impose a financial sanction on the violator – the Commissioner shall deliver to the violator written notice thereof.
(c)In the payment demand or the notice, under subsection (b), the Commissioner shall set out the reasons for the decision.
(d)Where the violator has not submitted arguments under the provisions of section 94 within the period referred to in that section, the notice of intention to charge shall, upon the expiry of that period, be deemed a payment demand delivered to the violator on that date.
Continuing Contravention and Repeated Contravention§
96.
(a)In the case of a continuing contravention, 2% shall be added to the financial sanction prescribed for that contravention for each day on which the contravention continues; for this purpose, "continuing contravention" means a contravention of a provision of the provisions under this Law, as referred to in section 92, after the Commissioner has notified the violator of the contravention of that provision.
(b)In the case of a repeated contravention, an amount equal to half the financial sanction referred to therein shall be added to the financial sanction prescribed for that contravention; for this purpose, "repeated contravention" means a contravention of a provision of the provisions under this Law as referred to in section 92, within two years of a previous contravention of the same provision in respect of which a financial sanction was imposed on the violator or in respect of which the violator was convicted.
Reduced Amounts§
97.
(a)The Commissioner may not impose a financial sanction in an amount lower than the amounts prescribed in this Chapter, except under the provisions of subsection (b).
(b)The Governor, in consultation with the Minister and with the approval of the Committee, may prescribe cases, circumstances and considerations by reason of which it shall be possible to impose a financial sanction in an amount lower than the amounts prescribed in this Chapter, and at the rates to be prescribed.
Updated Amount of the Financial Sanction§
98.
(a)The financial sanction shall be according to its updated amount on the date of delivery of the payment demand, and in respect of a violator who did not submit arguments before the Commissioner as referred to in section 95(d) – on the date of delivery of the notice of intention to charge; where an appeal has been filed with a court under section 103 and payment of the financial sanction has been stayed by the Commissioner or the court – the financial sanction shall be according to its updated amount on the date of the decision on the appeal.
(b)The amounts of the financial sanction prescribed in sections 91 and 92 shall be updated on 1 January of each year (in this subsection – the update date), in accordance with the rate of change in the index known on the update date compared with the index that was known on 1 January of the preceding year; the said amount shall be rounded to the nearest amount that is a multiple of NIS 10; for this purpose, "index" means the consumer price index published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
(c)The Commissioner shall publish in Reshumot (Official Gazette) a notice of the updated amounts of the financial sanction under subsection (b).
Time for Payment of the Financial Sanction§
99.
The violator shall pay the financial sanction within 45 days from the date of delivery of the payment demand referred to in section 95.
Shekel Interest and Default Fees§
100.
If the violator has not paid a financial sanction on time, shekel interest and default fees shall be added to the financial sanction for the period of default, until its payment, and the provisions of the Interest and Linkage Law, 5721-1961 shall apply, with the necessary modifications.
Collection§
101.
A financial sanction shall be collected for the State Treasury, and its collection shall be subject to the Fines, Fees and Costs Collection Authority Law, 5755-1995.
Financial Sanction for a Violation under This Law and under Another Law§
102.
In respect of a single act that constitutes a violation of a provision among the provisions under this Law listed in section 92 and of a provision among the provisions under another law, no more than one financial sanction shall be imposed.
Appeal§
103.
(a)A final decision of the Supervisor under this Chapter may be appealed to the Magistrate's Court before which the President of the Magistrate's Court sits; such an appeal shall be filed within 45 days from the date on which notice of the decision was delivered to the violator.
(b)The filing of an appeal under subsection (a) shall not operate to stay payment of the financial sanction, unless the Supervisor has agreed thereto or the court has so ordered.
(c)If the court decided to allow an appeal filed under subsection (a), after the financial sanction had been paid in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, and ordered the return of the amount of the financial sanction paid or the reduction of the financial sanction, the amount paid or any part thereof that was reduced shall be returned, together with shekel interest from the date of its payment until the date of its return, and the provisions of the Interest and Linkage Law, 5721-1961 shall apply with respect to such interest, with the necessary modifications.
Publication§
104.
(a)Where the Supervisor has imposed a financial sanction under this Chapter, the Supervisor shall publish on the Bank of Israel website the following particulars, in a manner that ensures transparency with respect to the exercise of discretion in making the decision to impose a financial sanction:
(1)the fact of the imposition of the financial sanction;
(2)the nature of the violation for which the financial sanction was imposed and the circumstances of the violation;
(3)the amount of the financial sanction imposed;
(4)if the financial sanction was reduced — the circumstances on account of which the amount of the sanction was reduced and the rates of reduction;
(5)particulars concerning the violator that are relevant to the matter;
(6)the name of the violator — insofar as the violator is a corporation.
(b)Where an appeal has been filed under section 103, the Supervisor shall publish the fact of the filing of the appeal and its outcome in the manner in which the Supervisor published the fact of the imposition of the financial sanction.
(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(6), the Supervisor may publish the name of a violator who is an individual, after the individual has been given an opportunity to present arguments on the matter, if the Supervisor considered it necessary for the purpose of warning the public.
(d)Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the Supervisor shall not publish particulars that constitute information which a public authority is precluded from disclosing under section 9(a) of the Freedom of Information Law, 5758-1998, and the Supervisor may also refrain from publishing particulars under this section that constitute information which a public authority is not required to disclose under section 9(b) of that Law.
(e)A publication under this section in respect of a financial sanction imposed on a corporation shall be for a period of four years, and in respect of a financial sanction imposed on an individual — for a period of two years; in such a publication the Supervisor shall apply appropriate and advanced technological means to prevent, insofar as possible, access to the particulars published upon the expiry of the publication period.
(f)The Governor may prescribe additional means for the publication of the particulars referred to in this section.
Preservation of Criminal Liability§
105.
(a)Payment of a financial sanction under this Chapter shall not derogate from the criminal liability of a person for the violation of a provision among the provisions under this Law listed in section 92 that constitutes an offence.
(b)Where the Supervisor has sent the violator a notice of intention to impose liability in respect of a violation that constitutes an offence as referred to in subsection (a), no indictment shall be filed against the violator in respect of that violation, unless new facts have come to light that justify doing so.
(c)Where an indictment has been filed against a person in respect of a violation that constitutes an offence as referred to in subsection (a), the Supervisor shall not take proceedings against that person under this Chapter in respect of that violation, and if the indictment was filed in the circumstances referred to in subsection (b) after the violator has paid a financial sanction, the amount paid shall be returned to the violator, together with shekel interest from the date of payment of the amount until the date of its return, and the provisions of the Interest and Linkage Law, 5721-1961 shall apply with respect to such interest, with the necessary modifications.
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