does notintend to acquire a controlling stake in Brazilian mall operator ,Reuters reported April 3, citing an emailed statement from the private equityfirm.

Braziliannewspaper O Globo carried a report onthe same day that Blackstone is considering an acquisition of BR Malls, as ithired JP Morgan Chase & Co. for the purchase of a controlling stake wortharound 12 billion reais.

Withoutciting sources for the deal, the transaction would represent the largestproperty deal in the South American country, O Globo reportedly said.

Blackstonesaid it is "not actively engaged" in talks for the acquisition of BRMalls, according to the statement quoted by Reuters. Spokespersons from BRMalls and JP Morgan Chase declined to comment on the rumored deal.

BRMalls said in aninvestor presentation that it is the largest mall company in Latin America. InOctober 2015, Gazit-Globe Ltd.acquired a 5.16% stake in the shopping center company, which has a portfoliowith 46 shopping centers that span 1.65 million square meters of gross leasablearea and 966,000 square meters of owned gross leasable area, as previouslyreported.

As of April 1, US$1 wasequivalent to 3.57 Brazilian reais.