99 Bishopsgate began life as the London headquarters of HongKong Bank. On Saturday 24th April 1993, the IRA detonated a truck bomb on Old Broad Street, killing 1 person and injuring 44. Heavy damage was sustained by both 99 Bishopsgate and the neighbouring NatWest Tower (now Tower 42), with both buildings left needing extensive reconstruction.

The tower underwent a 14-month restoration and refurbishment following the bomb attack, re-opening in 1995 as a multi-let office building. The refurbishment included refreshing the exterior curtain wall, which now uses low-e glass, providing a thermal break giving a high acoustic performance.

On completion the building incorporated the fastest lifts in Europe, which travelled at 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) per second.

Following the bombing of 1993, the building acquired a blue glass curtain wall, an additional two storeys to the podium and a circular entrance hall.