ISTANBUL- Dubai's biggest lender Emirates NBD has applied to Turkey's competition authority to take over Turkish lender Denizbank, a posting on the competition authority's website showed on Thursday.

In May, Emirates NBD agreed to buy Denizbank from Russia's state-owned Sberbank SBER.MM for $3.2 billion to help establish itself as a leading bank in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

(Reporting by Ebru Tuncay Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen Editing by Daren Butler) ((ali.kucukgocmen@thomsonreuters.com , @alikucukgocmen; +902123507067; Reuters Messaging: Reuters Messaging: ali.kucukgocmen.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))