AviLease, a jet lessor owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), is said to be in advanced talks to buy Standard Chartered PLC (LSE:STAN)'s aviation finance business in a deal which could be valued at EUR 3.5 billion ($3.75 billion), Bloomberg News reported on June 5, 2023. Standard Chartered and AviLease parent PIF both declined to comment on Reuters' request. The UK-headquartered bank in January had said it was considering a sale, among several options, of its Ireland-based aviation unit, which owns and manages more than 120 planes on lease to 30 airlines.

The deal would help AviLease, launched last year, boost its presence in key leasing markets in the Middle East and other parts of the world, the Bloomberg report added.