[6] Following the culmination of World War I in 1918 and the subsequent dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, Turkey was declared a republic with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as the president.

[7] Atatürk appointed Celâl Bayar, his close aide and then the Minister of Exchange Construction and Settlement, as the president of the newly formed bank.

The bank's subsidiaries became the driving force of Turkish industry, investing in and financing a wide range of businesses, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

Since those years, İşbank has been carrying out R&D activities and studies on the use of new technologies to increase the quality and diversity of its services in line with the wishes and expectations of its customers.

[citation needed] In May 1998, 12.3% of the Bank's total shares previously held by the Turkish Treasury have been sold to national and international investors in a public offering.

[13] Işbank’s shares are listed on Borsa Istanbul and its depository receipts are traded on London Stock Exchange as GDR (REG S).