(Adds Fubon comment in paragraph 4)
SINGAPORE, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Taiwan's Fubon Financial Holding 2881.TW is weighing a bid for Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's ANZ.AX 39 percent stake in PT Bank Pan Indonesia Tbk (Panin) PNBN.JK , two people familiar with the matter said.
"This is real," one of the sources said. "Some banks have pitched to Fubon for a mandate."
ANZ is inviting preliminary bids and there is a very short list of bidders, the source added, as Australian banks scramble to raise capital to meet a regulatory demand for more money to be held in reserve against their large mortgage books.
Fubon confirmed to Reuters that it is evaluating a potential investment in Panin but declined to provide further detail.
Officials at ANZ declined to comment on Fubon's interest, which was first reported by Bloomberg. Spanish lender Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) BBVA.MC is also interested, Bloomberg said.
BBVA declined to comment on the Panin stake, which Reuters' sources said is worth $612 million.
Reuters reported on Aug. 21 that ANZ hired Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) GS.N for the sale, which is expected to attract bidders from China, Taiwan and Japan. ID:nL3N10W1ZX
Previous talks between ANZ and Japan's Mizuho Financial Group 8411.T over the Panin stake stalled, partly because Mizuho's request for Panin board seats was opposed by the Gunawan family that controls 46.5 percent of the Indonesian lender, people familiar with the matter said. ID:nL3N0TS53J