Israeli Shekels have been made available across the online currency-exchange services operated by Currency Exchange Corporation (CEC), following concerns raised by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

UKLFI wrote to CEC and its parent group Fexco on 21 August 2026 after finding that Israeli Shekels (ILS) were unavailable through the online buying and selling channels of a number of CEC-operated brands.  CEC operates several foreign-exchange brands, including No1 Currency, CEC Ltd, Thomas Exchange Global, Best Foreign Exchange and Sainsbury’s Travel Money. When UKLFI checked the services on 20 and 21 August, the Shekel was absent from the online currency lists across the operational websites examined.

UKLFI also noted that the Shekel was unavailable while numerous less-traded currencies remained available. According to figures cited in UKLFI’s letter from the 2025 BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey, the Israeli Shekel was the 25th most-traded currency globally, accounting for 0.4% of daily foreign-exchange turnover.

Of particular concern was Sainsbury’s Travel Money. UKLFI found that an archived Sainsbury’s Bank webpage from January 2026, shortly before Fexco completed its acquisition of the travel-money business, had included the Israeli Shekel in its currency selector. The currency subsequently disappeared from the service.

UKLFI raised concerns that the situation could potentially disadvantage Israeli nationals and Jewish customers, who are more likely than others to wish to buy or sell Shekels, and asked CEC to review the position under the Equality Act 2010. UKLFI also raised concerns about potentially confusing website information, including a No1 Currency page which advertised the purchase of Israeli Shekels while simultaneously saying that the currency was unavailable.

CEC has now confirmed that Israeli Shekels are available again across all its online channels. CEC told UKLFI:  “Following ongoing engagement with its supplier regarding currency availability, CEC has made ILS available across all online channels. As with any currency offered by CEC, availability remains subject to operational considerations including stock levels, customer demand and supplier availability and may therefore change from time to time.”

In a response dated 3 September 2026, CEC said it had experienced recent supply constraints affecting the availability of ILS and denied that there had been any decision permanently to withdraw the currency.

CEC specifically confirmed that this restoration includes Sainsbury’s Travel Money.

CEC rejected UKLFI’s concerns about possible discrimination, saying that currency availability was determined solely by operational and commercial considerations and not by customers’ nationality, race, ethnicity, religion or belief. CEC also said it was reviewing its webpages and customer journeys to ensure that information about the availability of Israeli Shekels was clear, accurate and consistent.

UKLFI welcomed the practical outcome of its intervention. A UKLFI spokesperson said: “We are pleased that, following our letter, Israeli Shekels have now been made available across CEC’s online channels, including Sainsbury’s Travel Money.

“Whatever the explanation for their previous absence, customers wishing to buy or sell Israel’s currency should be treated in the same transparent and fair way as customers dealing in other currencies. 

“We also welcome CEC’s commitment to review its websites so that customers receive clear and consistent information about the availability of Israeli Shekels.”

Eurochange has also responded to concerns raised by UKLFI about restrictions on the purchase and sale of Israeli Shekels. In a letter dated 26 August, Eurochange said that it “ordinarily supports” the buying back of Israeli Shekels, but that temporary operational and wholesale-market factors can lead it to restrict particular currencies. It confirmed that, at present, its Shekel buyback service is limited to customers who originally purchased their Shekels from Eurochange and who can provide proof of purchase, while saying that similar restrictions can apply to other currencies and citing the Tunisian dinar as a current example.

Eurochange acknowledged that its dedicated “Sell Back Your Israeli Shekels” webpage had not clearly reflected the actual position and had caused “unnecessary confusion”. It said the page had been removed until the service could resume and that it was reviewing its website content, terms and conditions and customer-service guidance to ensure that restrictions are made clear to customers.