Diamond giant De Beers has drawn interest from at least six consortia, including billionaire Anil Agarwal, Indian diamond firms and Qatari investment funds, sources close to the companies told Reuters.
De Beers is being carved out of Anglo American as the London-listed miner refocuses on copper and iron ore but the move comes with global diamond prices under pressure.
Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Resources, which has mines in Zambia and South Africa, is among the interested parties, as part of a bigger group, two sources said.
Anglo and Agarwal both declined to comment. Indian companies including KGK Group and Kapu Gems, which dominate the domestic cutting and polishing trade, and are De Beers's biggest customers, have also expressed an interest, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
KGK Group and Kapu Gems did not respond to requests for comment.
Anglo American, whose book value for De Beers stands at $4.9 billion, following $3.5 billion in impairments over the last two years, said it has retained financial advisers Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Centerview to help with a sale or a demerger and potential listing.
