WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to release thousands of classified documents from a major US bank early next year, Forbes magazine reported on Monday

The founder of the whistleblower site said that he expected the disclosures to lead to investigations on the bank. He did not identify the bank, but only added that it is "still in existence".

Assange compared the expose on the bank -- which will give a comprehensive picture of the corporation's bad behaviour -- to be similar to the e-mails that emerged in the American energy company Enron's trial.

About the likely outcome of the disclosure, he said: "...It will give a true and representative insight into how banks behave at the executive level in a way that will stimulate investigations and reforms, I presume."

Assange also told the business magazine that WikiLeaks has classified information on businesses such as pharmaceutical companies and governments including Russia.