London, January 25, 2006 — LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – White & Case advised on IPOs and listings on the NASDAQ stock exchange by two Israel-based high-tech companies. The Firm represented:
· Sole book runner UBS Investment Bank on the $73 million SEC-registered IPO of Ituran Location and Control Limited, a leading provider of location-based services, predominantly stolen vehicle recovery and tracking services. JP Morgan acted as joint lead manager and William Blair & Company and C.E. Unterberg, Towbin acted as co-managers of the offering, made on October 3, 2005.
· Saifun Semiconductors Limited (“Saifun”) in its $135 million SEC-registered IPO. Saifun has patented a technology that more than doubles the storage capacity of flash memory, such as that used in cell phones and digital camera memory cards. The company licenses its technology to major semiconductor manufacturers. Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank Securities were the IPO’s sole book runner and joint lead manager, respectively. The listing was made on November 14, 2005.
Commenting on the resurgence of the high-tech sector, Josh Kiernan, head of the capital markets practice in London and lead partner advising on the two deals, said, “Demand for high-tech workers in Israel is up following a rise in exports by nearly 10 per cent last year. The fact that two Israeli technology companies have listed IPOs on the NASDAQ exchange within a month of each other is no coincidence. They form part of a trend that is leading to a resurgence of the sector, similar to that experienced in the late 1990s.”
White & Case is one of the leading international law firms advising on capital markets transactions in Israel. Its fast-growing Israeli practice has advised on a total of ten capital markets deals in the last 18 months. The team has significant experience in advising the major investment banks and Israeli corporates on IPOs and secondary offerings on the NYSE, NASDAQ, London Stock Exchange and AIM.
Advising alongside Kiernan on the Saifun IPO was New York partner John Narducci and associates Karin Braverman, Colin Diamond, Kevin McGann, Nicole Hart and Arona Osrin. The team advising on the Ituran IPO with Kiernan were New York partners Daniel Goldberg and John Narducci, counsel Scott Weingaertner and associates Netanella Cohen, Maryanne O’Connor, Tomer Pinkusiewicz and Louis Somma.
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