Prudential looks set to buy one of Asia's biggest insurance firms in a £15bn deal, the BBC understands.

保诚保险似乎准备以150亿美元的价格收购亚洲一家最大的保险公司。

Prudential could issue a statement as early as Monday

The UK insurance giant is believed to be in advanced（预先，提前） talks to takeover AIA（美国友邦保险） , the Asian arm of US company AIG（美国国际集团） .

Prudential has refused to confirm the huge deal, but the company is expected to issue a statement to the market next week.

BBC correspondent¹ Joe Lynam said the move looks like an attempt to tap into the Indian and Chinese markets.

"This is a play for the middle classes of India and China as they grow in wealth and numbers in the coming years. The sums involved range up（按次序排列） to $25bn, which could make it the biggest overseas purchase by a UK firm," he added.

AIA is regarded as a crucial² part of AIG with about 20 million customers, or close to a third of AIG's total customer base.

AIG was bailed³ out（援助） by the US government in 2008 and is now 80% owned by it. In total, the firm has received $182.5bn of government funding.