Banco Federal Itaú de Investimentos S.A. and was created on May 6, 1966, shortly after the Brazilian Central Bank gave permission for this kind of activity. It was a limited liability listed company which would take stakes or make loans in the medium and long term to provide fixed or variable capital by investing its own resources, as well as in the raising, intermediation and investment of resources of third parties, and other activities which the monetary authorities had given approval to.

In November 1970, it changed its official name to Banco Itaú de Investimento S.A. and in May 1973 to Banco Itaú Português de Investimento S.A. It expanded its operations into the specific areas of investment banking. At the same time it accumulated a large equity portfolio and became a substantial shareholder in a number of Itaú´s financing institutions. As these institutions grew, it became a complex task for Banco Itaú Português de Investimento S.A. to maintain its bipolar approach to its operations, both as the holding company of the group and as an investment bank.

As a result, it reformulated its objectives and ceased its investment bank activities in order to become the leading company within the Instituições Financeiras Itaú, a holding company which at that time grouped more than 50 companies. Approval was given at the General Meeting held on December 9, 1974 for the name to be changed to Investimentos Itaú S.A. The business objective was to provide support to private Brazilian companies in which it had a capital share.

At a General Meeting held on April 30, 1991, the official name was changed to Itaúsa - Investimentos Itaú S.A. The name Itaúsa - Investimentos Itaú was adopted from 1991, thereby incorporating the "Itaúsa" tag which the market valued.

The main companies which Itaúsa controls are leaders in their business areas: Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. and its subsidiaries Itaú Unibanco and Banco Itaú BBA in the financial segment and Duratex, Itautec and Elekeiroz, leaders in their respective industrial areas.

As a listed pure holding company, Itaúsa concentrates all its financial and strategic decisions on providing the companies within the Group with the best condition to operate and expand their business. As a result, the subsidiaries have achieved high levels of productivity, employee training and technological breakthroughs to constantly improve the products and services they offer to the market.