S&P Global Market Intelligence presents In Play Today, a periodic summary of potential deal activity in the financial sectors of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This summary, which is displayed according to the location of a target's headquarters, is based on information obtained by S&P Global Market Intelligence and may not be inclusive of all potential deal activity.
Europe
* Old Mutual Global Investors (UK) Ltd. CEO Richard Buxton is close to buying the Old Mutual Plc unit's single-strategy business for £550 million, a banking source told Sky News. Buxton will be backed by TA Associates Management LP.
* Prudential Plc unit M&G Investment Management Ltd. is said to be among several bidders looking to acquire a £5.5 billion loan portfolio comprising mainly mortgages issued by Bradford & Bingley Plc. M&G has yet to partner with another firm in the auction, but could opt to do so at a later stage of the sale process.
* Ukrainian businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavsky is said to be interested in acquiring Vnesheconombank unit PSC Prominvestbank and has submitted relevant purchase documents to the Ukrainian central bank for approval. The central bank subsequently confirmed that it received documentation to approve the purchase of a 99.7% stake in Prominvestbank.
* OTP Bank Nyrt. CEO Sándor Csányi said the Hungarian lender is looking into acquiring Serbia's Komercijalna Banka a.d. Beograd, in which the Serbian government holds a 41.7% stake that it is slated to sell in 2018, although he added that "that is not the only bank we are looking into in the region."
* Otkritie Holding JSC wants to take over Baltic Leasing OJSC, with relevant documentation already filed by Otkritie for approval with the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service. Otkritie previously owned 20% of Baltic Leasing, while the remaining 80% stake belongs to Moscow-based JSC Interservice.
* Liechtenstein-registered fund Novito Opportunities, which is part of Liechtenstein-based investment company CAIAC Fund Management AG, has submitted a bid to purchase a 67.65% stake in Bulgaria's Municipal Bank Plc. The bid is the only one submitted in a tender for the lender's 3,880,388 shares owned by Sofia Municipality.
* Prudential plc has asked potential buyers to present offers for one or more of its U.K. annuities portfolios by Dec. 22, with insiders expecting Legal & General Group Plc, Rothesay Life Plc, Pension Insurance Corp. Plc, Scottish Widows Ltd. and Aviva Plc to be among the bidders. Prudential is also reportedly increasing the value book to be sold out of its £33 billion U.K. annuity book to £13 billion from an earlier reported value of £10 billion.
* U.S.-based Federated Investors Inc. is considering a bid to acquire British asset manager Hermes Fund Managers Ltd., insiders told Sky News, with other potential buyers including U.S.-based Old Mutual Asset Management and Eaton Vance Corp., as well as Australian fund manager Challenger Ltd. The BT Pension Scheme, which owns Hermes, may reportedly retain a stake in the company as part of a transaction.
Rest of the world
* Canada-based Mint Corp. is looking to buy an unnamed alternative finance company licensed by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates after terminating a previously announced deal for a similar company. Hafed Holding LLC, a unit of Mint, is engaged in preliminary talks with the unnamed company.

