Why CurrencyTransfer.com Backed Israel Rugby at Maccabiah 2017

Last month, CurrencyTransfer.com was proud to support Israel Rugby at the 2017 Maccabiah Games – the world's third largest organised sporting event.

With offices in London & Tel Aviv, we weren't sure whether to root for Team South Africa or Team USA, but there were 5 reasons why it felt right for us to support this tournament:

Sport brings people together

From a young age, I’ve loved attending major sporting events as a fan. There's nothing quite like the atmosphere at an international match. The carnival atmosphere can be emotional and uplifting. This year's Maccabiah brought together 10,000 athletes with entourage in tow, from 80 different countries – what an incredible show of unity! We just couldn't resist having a part in one of the 47 sports contending in Israel this summer.

It's an evolving sport

Did you know that rugby was born out of a disregard for football a British secondary school. William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it. Since its creation the game's rules and dynamics have kept changing and improving, keeping the sport exciting. As an ambitious FinTech company, we saw an incredible opportunity to upgrade the way individuals and businesses make cross-border transfers, building our next-generation global payments marketplace.

The best Rugby players take risks. So did we. To challenge an inefficient system loaded with hidden fees, poor servicing levels and aggressive bank markups. Like those early rugby rebels, we're helping over 8,500 registered clients taking control of the way they move money around the world.

It’s democratized to the masses

Amir Tito, the CEO of Rugby told me recently ‘‘You just need some sticks, grass and ball.’’ It’s a sport that anyone can play, leveling the playing field in terms of access and education. At CurrencyTransfer.com, we believe great exchange rates and exceptional service shouldn’t solely be reserved for enormous companies. We empower the family buying their dream home in Spain or the Entrepreneur making his first international order.... to fire up their CurrencyTransfer.com app.. to book a deal on their desktop or cellphone in less than 60 seconds... and crucially get the type of wholesale rates and service levels you’d expect from a Goldman Sachs trading room. 

Good players come in all shapes and sizes

In rugby, to lead your team to victory requires smart strategy, teamwork and determination. Rugby can get pretty physical. It takes a brave athlete to walk onto that pitch knowing they're probably going to take a blow for their team, and willing to give it their absolute best. As a start-up we admire that spirit, and our team will always be present at the scrum, fighting for our core vision to find every client a fairer and more affordable foreign exchange deal.

A drive to win

It's the drive to win that keeps the best Rugby teams ahead of the curve. We know we are not the only ones out there, and that keeps us on our toes. Israel Rugby has it’ own plan to win. They want to scale from 1,000 to 4,000 players within in just a few years. We want to support them in their journey. We love this ambition, which firmly aligns to our own brand values and emphasis on speed and momentum.

And in case you were wondering… Team USA took the gold!