Malaysia Maybank in pole position for BII stake-report

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Reuters) - Top Malaysian lender Maybank (MBBM.KL: Quote, Profile, Research) is the frontrunner to buy Singapore state investor Temasek's [TEM.UL] stake in Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), valued around $800 million, a report said on Saturday.

Maybank leads the race for the stake despite putting in a lower bid than Bank of China (3988.HK: Quote, Profile, Research), The Edge business weekly quoted unnamed sources familiar with the deal as saying.

It did not say why and did not give the price each bank was willing to pay.

"Maybank is favoured, and it is likely to be the winner barring unforeseen circumstances," the report quoted a source familiar with the deal as saying.

Talks were nearing completion and a deal could be reached as early as end-March, the report said.

Maybank declined to comment on the report.

Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that HSBC (HSBA.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Bank of China and Maybank had emerged as the final bidders for Temasek's stake in BII.

Temasek [TEM.UL] is trying to sell its 42 percent stake in BII BNII.JK, the country's sixth-biggest lender, to comply with a new central bank rule that bars foreign investors from owning more than one bank in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. It also owns a controlling stake in Bank Danamon BDMN.JK. (Reporting by Liau Y-Sing; Editing by Ben Tan)