Prudential wants to bring minority investors into some of the Asian businesses it plans to buy from AIG, the financial group rescued by the US government, to help ease capital curbs imposed by regional regulators.
China, Thailand and Malaysia are among those countries where the sale of locally-held minority stakes to investors could help to ease restrictions on dividend payments to the Pru and capital flows, according to people familiar with the group's thinking.
Investors in Britain's biggest insurer will vote next month on a $21bn rights issue that is needed to fund the Pru's take-over of AIA, AIG's Asian arm. The company is in the final stages of preparing its prospectus for the $35.5bn deal.