Standard Chartered PLC (SNTDF) has agreed to purchase more than half of Barclays PLC's (BCS) Indian credit card portfolio at a discount to its book value, Reuters news agency reported Tuesday on its website, citing two unnamed people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Standard Chartered will buy 170,000 of about 300,000 Barclay's credit card accounts in India for less than half of the book value, which is estimated at INR1.8 billion ($35 million), one of the sources said, adding that the deal was likely to be announced later this week.

"Standard Chartered has bought only the performing part of the credit cards business with a good credit record, while Barclays will decide later what to do with the non-performing part of the business," the source was quoted as saying in the report.

U.K.-based Standard Chartered and Barclays declined to comment when reached by Reuters.

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