Nir Tzuk Approved to Become Major Shareholder of US-Based Liberty Bank

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has approved Israeli entrepreneur Nir Tzuk's request to acquire a significant stake in the parent company of Liberty Bank, a federally chartered bank headquartered in Irvine, California. This approval marks a crucial step toward finalizing the transaction that will make Tzuk the principal shareholder of the bank. Founders of The Bancorp, Betsy Cohen and Daniel Cohen, are also expected to invest in Liberty Bank. Daniel Cohen served as chairman of The Bancorp for 23 years, while Betsy Cohen was its CEO for most of that time; both now lead the venture capital firm Cohen Circle, which focuses on fintech investments.

Current shareholders, including American investment funds Stone Point Capital and Reverence Capital Partners, are expected to retain minority stakes after the deal closes. Upon completion, Nir Tzuk is set to join the bank's board of directors alongside Yuval Aloni, co-founder of Bank esh. Tzuk also plans to appoint Dr. Nadine Budo-Trachtenberg, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel and current Deputy Chair of Bank esh’s board, as a director of Liberty Bank.

Liberty Bank manages assets totaling approximately $400 million and is regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), with deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). This acquisition will be Tzuk’s second investment in banking; he is already a major shareholder in the parent company of Bank esh and in eOS, the technology firm behind Bank esh’s operating system.

In March 2026, Tzuk and other shareholders of Bank esh signed a memorandum of understanding for a merger with Israeli credit card company Isracard in a deal valued at up to 500 million shekels. The agreement also contemplates a potential investment in eOS by Isracard or its controlling shareholder, Delek Group.