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"Chinese Internet giant Tencent\u00A0is being tipped to buy a 15 percent stake in Malaysia's loss-making Patimas Computers this week, according to a report by Malaysia news channel Astro AWANI, in a move that could speed up its services in the country.\r\n\r\nThe report cites sources in local Chinese daily China Press as saying that the deal could happen on Wednesday, though it wasn't clear if Tencent would buy the stake directly or via another vehicle. There was also no mention of any possible price range for the deal.\r\n\r\nThe Chinese Internet firm was also reported to have bought a 5 percent stake in Patimas earlier this year via China Private Equity Investment Holdings.\r\n\r\nTencent, which is behind the popular\u00A0WeChat\u00A0messaging service, revealed last month that it\u00A0planned to open a new branch office in Malaysia\u00A0as it seeks to localize the chat app.\r\n\r\nPatimas Computers, a provider of information and communications technology in Malaysia, is listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia. It offers services including\u00A0ICT business infrastructure and cloud services, which would likely contribute in boosting the speeds of WeChat and Tencent's Internet services in the Southeast Asian nation.\u00A0\r\n\r\n\r\nPatimas has been struggling amid a decline in the computer-related product and services market, and as it got embroiled in the findings of an investigative audit that showed irregularities. For the financial year ended March 31, 2012, Patimas\u00A0posted an audited net loss of RM86.5 million ($27.8 million) - nearly four times its unaudited net loss.\r\n\r\nTencent says its\u00A0WeChat\u00A0mobile messaging service (known as Weixin in China) has 194.4 million monthly active users and more than 400 million registered users,\u00A0with an\u00A0estimated 40 million users\u00A0thought to be based overseas, while the remainder of the\u00A0300 million plus registered users\u00A0are located in China.\u00A0For the first quarter of 2013, the Chinese company\u00A0posted profit of RMB 4.04 million\u00A0($645 million), up 16.8 percent on the last quarter.\r\n\r\nWe have reached out to Tencent for comment and will\u00A0update this article with any response that the company provides.\r\n\r\nHeadline image via\u00A0faykwong\u00A0/ Flickr"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/06/10/tencent-reportedly-expected-to-buy-15-stake-in-malaysias-patimas-computers-this-week/>