IBK seeks to increase assets by 64 pct by 2015

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The state-run Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) said Monday it is targeting to boost its assets by 64 percent by 2015. The lender's assets will increase to some 300 trillion won (US$285 billion) by 2015, from 183 trillion won as of end-March this year, according to the bank. IBK also said it will seek to expand its customer bases in the industrial and retail banking sectors to 1 million and 10.5 million, respectively. The lender said it also plans to focus on extending loans to smaller firms and developing new financial products. IBK saw its first-quarter profits surge 50.7 percent from a year earlier.