LONDON - BRITISH bank Standard Chartered and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) are set to divide up the Asian assets of embattled Royal Bank of Scotland, a press report said on Thursday.

Standard, which focuses on emerging markets, and ANZ have been granted preferred bidder status for RBS's Asian retail and commercial assets, according to people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported.

Standard was in pole position to acquire RBS units being sold in China, India and Malaysia, while ANZ was set to win control of assets in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam, the business daily added.

Asked to comment on the report, an RBS spokesman told AFP: 'We are well advanced with the sale process. However, due to regulatory constraints and the confidentiality of the process we will not be commenting on any individual bidders or elements of the transaction process until its completion.'

Royal Bank of Scotland is majority-owned by the British government after being ravaged by the credit crunch and its 2007 takeover of Dutch group ABN Amro at the top of the market. -- AFP