The possible sale comes as European insurers prepare to meet stiff new capital requirements under Solvency II industry regulations and after some of AXA’s key holdings have suffered in the recent market rout.
Sources said a $1.5 billion price “could be in the range” of the unit’s value, while another said such a valuation sounded high. AXA Private Equity has been active this year, buying private equity assets from Citigroup, Barclays and HSH Nordbank.