Israel recorded an incredible 137% increase in capital raising in the first half of 2021, with Israeli tech companies bringing in $10.5 billion in new funding.

That according to figures published earlier this year by Start-Up Nation Central, which noted that the amount of investments in the first half of the year equalled the total for all of 2020, which itself was a record year. By comparison, the global average increase for capital raising for the same period was just 89%. Israel is now clearly leading the world in tech investment.

“The record funding in 2021 indicates that the growth in 2020 was not a short-term Covid-related boost but reflects top investors’ increasing trust in the Israeli innovation ecosystem,” said Uri Gabai, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central’s new Research and Policy Institute. He sees this significant growth as a result of Israel maturing as a tech hub with a strong competitive advantage.

The report shows that a record number of mega-investments (investments and funding rounds over $100 million) in 2021, with most of the money going to cybersecurity, fintech and enterprise solutions companies.