London: Standard Life Plc and Aberdeen Asset Management Plc, have been holding talks about an £11bn ($13.5bn) merger that would create one of the world’s biggest asset managers, Sky News reported.
The merged company would manage more than £600bn and employ more than 9,000 people,Sky said. Merger talk has swirled around Aberdeen in recent weeks amid outflows from its funds as a strengthening US dollar encourages investors to switch money out of emerging markets, where Aberdeen is strongest.
The company said on February 2 that assets under management fell to £302.7m in the final quarter of the year, a decline of £10.5b in the period.
