Mastercard taps Israeli fintech Neema to challenge the traditional cross-border payments model
Neema's infrastructure will power real-time transfers to Israel, reducing dependence on intermediary banks.
Israeli fintech company Neema and Mastercard have signed a commercial partnership agreement, Calcalist has learned.
Under the agreement, Mastercard Move, the company's global money transfer platform, will use Neema's technological infrastructure to enable businesses and individuals abroad to transfer money to Israel in real time. The service is expected to launch within the next few months.
Mastercard Move is the international money transfer arm of the payments giant, offering an alternative to traditional cross-border transfers conducted through the SWIFT banking network. SWIFT payments typically rely on a chain of intermediary banks, often taking several business days to settle while incurring relatively high fees.
"Mastercard is connecting to our infrastructure and beginning to use the services it needs from us to operate in Israel," said Moshe Kimhi, CEO of Neema.
Mastercard chose Neema in part because of its direct connection to Masav (Automated Clearinghouse), which operates the country's payments and clearing infrastructure. Around the world, Mastercard generally does not rely on local partners. In larger markets, it typically connects directly to national clearing systems. In Israel, however, the relatively small size of the market, combined with the regulatory, technological and financial costs of establishing a direct connection, made partnering with Neema a more practical option.
Neema was founded in 2015 as a fintech company offering non-bank accounts and payment solutions for foreign workers. It has since grown to more than 200,000 customers, partly driven by the increase in the number of foreign workers in Israel, and has expanded into payments infrastructure.
According to a valuation prepared by PwC, Neema was valued at NIS 572 million ($155 million) at the end of 2025.
In June 2025, the company launched its Dynamic Routing platform, marking its entry into the market for API-based payment infrastructure for financial institutions.
According to Neema, the platform enables instant account-to-account transfers, allowing recipients' bank accounts to be credited irrevocably within seconds of a payment being initiated overseas, regardless of the banking system's operating hours.
"We do not work with SWIFT," Kimhi said. "In the credit card world, if one acquirer isn't available, another one takes over so the transaction isn't declined and the customer doesn't abandon the purchase. Neema has applied the same concept to cross-border payments."
"Our technology is not built around a single provider. As soon as we receive a transaction, the system immediately identifies the fastest and most efficient route. Ultimately, what we sell is the transaction success rate in real time."
The agreement reflects a broader trend in Israel's fintech sector, with local companies increasingly providing payments infrastructure to global financial institutions operating in the country.
According to Kimhi, most international fintech companies entering Israel rely on Neema's technology in one form or another.
"Revolut is the exception," he said. "We currently do not provide services to Revolut because it plans to apply for a full banking license. Most of the other global companies that have entered Israel use our technology in one way or another."
