Greece's main lender National Bank on Friday finalized a planned capital increase of 2.8 billion euros ($3.6 billion) through a share issue and a partial sale of Turkish subsidiary Finansbank.

The bank's governing board authorized a 631-million-euro equity rights offering, a convertible equity notes offering of 1.184 billion euros and the public offering of a minority stake in Finansbank, NBG said in a statement.

The Finansbank sale is expected to raise a billion euros, but NBG will retain a majority stake of no less than 75 percent in the profitable Turkish bank.

Amid strong takeover talk, NBG has insisted that the money would not be used for mergers or acquisitions.

The process is expected to be completed by late October, the bank said this week, though the Finansbank sale will take place "as soon as practicable."

The Greek government, which is fighting to restructure the entire economy with radical reforms to correct a debt crisis that shook the eurozone earlier this year, has repeatedly urged the banking sector to consolidate.

NBG was one of five Greek lenders to pass EU-wide stress tests with varying success in July, although a sixth bank, ATEbank, failed to make the grade.

In August, the bank reported that six-month profit had fallen by 79 percent from the equivalent figure last year to 146 million euros.

NBG's Greek operations posted a 159-million-euro loss, but its Turkish subsidiary recorded a 15-percent profit increase to 251 million euros.