RSA Insurance Group is selling its Asian business as part of a strategy to offload poorly performing units.

RSA Insurance Group, the UK-based non-life insurer that owned by some of the largest global asset and investment managers, is considering the sale of its Asian operations in what observers say could be a $500 million deal, Reuters reports.

RSA Insurance, whose stakeholders include Threadneedle Asset Management, BlackRock Investment Management and Schroder Investment Management, is letting go of its Asian operations as part of a group-wide restructuring effort. Citing unnamed sources, the news service wrote that the sale will commence in the coming weeks and will be advised by Goldman Sachs Group. RSA declined to comment to WealthBriefingAsia on the specifics of the Reuters report.

RSA's Asia businesses are located in China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore; it is understood that, as announced earlier this year, the firm is focusing on core markets of UK, Ireland, Latin America and Scandinavia; it has sold a Polish and Canada business. The non-core businesses include the aforementioned Asia businesses, as well as the Middle East.

In the first quarter 2014 interim management statement, RSA group chief executive Stephen Hester said that the firm is progressing further disposals in 2014 and exiting underperforming portfolios. The company sold its operations in the Baltics and Poland in April.