A private Turkish bank forecasts some 230 million USD of investments in 2010.

Turkey's Akbank foresees 350 million TL (230 million USD) of investments in 2010, director general Ziya Akkurt told a press conference in Istanbul.

Akkurt said the bank planned to raise the number of its branches by 50 in 2010.

On 2009 performances, Akkurt said the bank's net profit was up 53 percent over 2008 and reached 2.7 billion TL (1.8 billion USD).

Akkurt said bank's assets were up 10.5 percent and reached 102.8 billion TL (68.5 billion USD).

Akbank was founded in Adana, Turkey in January 1948, originally to provide financing for the cotton producers in the Cukurova region. Growing and developing over time, the bank opened its first branch in Istanbul in 1950, moving its headquarters to Istanbul in 1954. Rapidly increasing the number of its branches, Akbank automated all banking operations in 1963.

With its strong and extensive domestic distribution network that includes more than 870 branches and 15,000 employees as of May 2009, Akbank operates from its headquarters in Istanbul and 20 regional directorates around Turkey.