Amin Shumayyil wrote an article in favor of the idea in April 26, 1879 in the newspaper Al-Tijara; although a number of Egyptian dignitaries met to discuss the project, the conflict between the Khedive Isma'il Pasha and the National Assembly and subsequent ʻUrabi revolt doomed the idea this time.

Revolt leader Ahmed ʻUrabi’s friend Wilfrid Scawen Blunt reports in his memoirs that Urabi had envisioned a “credit bank” for farmers.

[2][3] Omar Lotfi Bey, a member of the Watani Party and Vice-President of the School of Law (now part of Cairo University) revived the idea in lectures at the Universities’ Club beginning on November 1, 1908, but his suggestions of using German and Italian assistance and credit were politically controversial.

The General Investment Funds Administration was founded in 1994 to expand the bank’s offerings with an eye toward flexibility and low costs.

In March 2017, Banque Misr launched its online banking services for electronic payment over a mobile phone.