Borsa Istanbul became Turkey’s unified exchange after a 2013 merger of its major markets.
Borsa Istanbul was established in 2013 through the combination of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, the Istanbul Gold Exchange, and the Derivatives and Options Exchange of Turkey. The new institution brought equities, precious metals, and derivatives under one exchange group.
The Istanbul Stock Exchange had previously been Turkey’s main securities market, so older references may use that name. Borsa Istanbul is the modern institution and is commonly abbreviated BIST. Its headquarters are in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and principal financial centre.
The exchange operates several important indices, including the BIST 100, which tracks a selection of prominent companies listed on the Turkish market. The merger followed a wider international trend toward exchange consolidation, in which separate cash, commodity, and derivatives venues were combined to simplify infrastructure and broaden product offerings.