Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Doha Bank QSC, Qatar’s third- biggest bank by assets, is “seriously” looking at opportunities in Turkey, Chief Executive Officer Raghavan Seetharaman said.

“Turkey is one option we are looking at seriously in the current context,” Seetharaman told Bloomberg TV today. “Perhaps we have to look at acquisition opportunities as well.”

Doha Bank, which offers commercial and Islamic banking services, wants to buy a stake in a Turkish bank and open branches in the country, Referans reported on Oct. 6. The bank held talks with the banking watchdog in Ankara about its plans, the newspaper reported, without saying where it got the information.

To contact the reporter on this story: Francine Lacqua in London at flacqua@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 9, 2009 01:50 EST