Borsa Istanbul Outperforms Global Peers: A New Era for Equity Investors

Ranking 1st in the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) performance index, BIST 100 showcases unparalleled growth and a historic IPO wave.

Borsa Istanbul (BIST) has officially emerged as a global leader in equity market performance, capturing the strategic attention of international institutional investors and venture capitalists alike. According to the latest performance indices from the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the BIST 100 Index secured the 1st place globally in terms of performance among member exchanges in 2024, a momentum that has carried strongly into early 2026. This surge is not merely a flash in the pan but is supported by a massive structural shift in investor participation. The number of active individual and institutional investors in Borsa Istanbul reached a record 8.3 million by the end of 2024, further stabilizing at approximately 7.2 million in 2025 as the market matured and focused on high-quality listings.

The market’s depth is expanding through an unprecedented and record-breaking wave of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). Between 2021 and 2024, Türkiye successfully completed 179 IPOs, raising a total of approximately $8.6 billion. While 2025 saw a relative slowdown in volume due to tighter financial conditions, the year still recorded 18 high-impact IPOs raising nearly $1 billion, with the number of listed companies on Borsa Istanbul reaching 591. As we move into 2026, regulators and financial analysts anticipate a “second wave” of IPO activity, with over 150 pending applications—nearly half of which originate from the industrial and manufacturing sectors—signaling a shift toward production-based capital growth.

Beyond mere performance numbers, the exchange’s infrastructure has been modernized to meet and exceed global standards. The successful implementation of the BISTECH 3.0 trading system has provided the technological backbone required for high-frequency trading and secure data transmission. By consolidating all exchanges—including equity, derivatives (VIOP), and precious metals—under a single, high-tech brand, Borsa Istanbul now offers a seamless experience for global portfolio managers.

For sourcing professionals and multinational partners, Borsa Istanbul’s dominance is a clear indicator of the liquidity and health of the Turkish corporate sector. It provides a transparent platform for Turkish manufacturers to access the capital needed for R&D and capacity expansion. As the exchange integrates further with international sustainability indices and launches its BIST Sustainability 25 Index, it is increasingly becoming a destination for ESG-conscious global capital. Investors are no longer just looking at Türkiye as a manufacturing base; they are viewing its equity market as a high-alpha opportunity in a diversified and resilient economy.

Citations & Sources: