Feb 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1030 GMT on Tuesday:
** Business software maker Oracle Corp (N:ORCL) ORCL.N , which is seeking to expand its cloud business, has agreed to buy Israeli cloud software company Ravello Systems, the two firms said on their websites.
Canada's Bank of Nova Scotia BNS.TO has approached a unit of Bank of China 601988.SS , Fubon Financial Holdings 2881.TW , Maybank MBBM.KL and Japanese lenders to gauge interest for its $1.7 billion stake in Thai lender Thanachart, people familiar with the matter said.
Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 005930.KS denied a report that it planned to sell its majority stake in medical equipment maker Samsung Medison Co Ltd, saying it was groundless.
Consortiums led by Canada's Brookfield Asset Management Inc BAMa.TO and Australia's Qube Holdings QUB.AX are considering joining forces to bid for Asciano Ltd AIO.AX , the Australian port and rail giant said.
Japan's top oil refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp 5020.T will buy a roughly 10 percent stake in the Vietnam National Petroleum Group, the Nikkei business daily reported, although the two companies said nothing had been decided.
Swiss Re SRENH.VX is open to doing mergers and acquisitions in areas away from its core reinsurance business, the group's chief financial officer said on Tuesday.