Temasek-backed reinsurer’s owners to mull reviving sale

ACR Capital Holdings Pte shareholders are considering reviving a sale of the Singapore reinsurer, less than a year after a deal with Chinese buyers fell apart, people familiar with the matter said.

The company’s owners, which include Temasek Holdings Pte and Khazanah Nasional Bhd., have asked banks to pitch for a role on a potential transaction, according to the people. A deal could value ACR at about $800 million, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

Any transaction would add to the $7 billion in deals targeting Southeast Asia financial companies this year, data compiled by Bloomberg show. A sale process could start as soon as early next year if they decide to proceed, the people said. No final decisions have been made, and there’s no certainty the deliberations will lead to a transaction, according to the people.

ACR announced an agreement to be acquired by Shenzhen Qianhai Financial Holdings Co. and Shenzhen Investment Holdings Co. in October 2016, following a Bloomberg News report that a $1 billion deal was imminent. About a year later the firm said the agreement between its owners, which also include Marubeni Corp. and 3i Group Plc, and the Chinese buyers had fallen apart.

Representatives for Khazanah, Temasek and 3i declined to comment. Representatives for ACR and Marubeni said they couldn’t immediately comment.

ACR owns what it calls Asia’s first independent reinsurance company, serving clients from Korea to Vietnam in industries including real estate, engineering and agriculture, its website shows. It also holds a majority stake in Hong Kong’s Concord Insurance Co. —