JERUSALEM, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Foreign investments in Israel, as a result of offset agreements, reached a record of 13.5 billion new shekels (about 3.66 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018.

It marked an increase of 56 percent compared with 2017, said a report published on Sunday by the financial website Calcalist.

Offset agreements between an importing country and a foreign company oblige the exporting company to undertake activities, distinct from the acquisition of the goods or services that form the core transaction.

One of the main objectives of Israeli law is to expose Israeli companies to customers outside the country.

According to the report, which is based on data from the Industrial Cooperation Authority at Israel's Ministry of Economy, some 1,065 Israeli companies benefited from these agreements in 2018, 243 companies more than in 2017.

The data also show that there was an increase of 80 percent in the number of factories located in national priority areas in northern and southern Israel, which benefited from the agreements in 2018.