SoftBank plans record $6.3B bond issue to fund AI investments
What's the story
SoftBank Group, the Japanese technology investor, has announced its plan to issue ¥1 trillion ($6.29 billion) worth of seven-year corporate bonds. The move is aimed at individual investors and comes with a provisional coupon range of 4.3% to 4.9%, as per a regulatory filing. This is SoftBank's largest bond issuance ever, nearly double its previous record set in April 2025 with a ¥600 billion offering.
Investment strategy
SoftBank's AI push and Asia's growing AI infrastructure investment
SoftBank has been aggressively investing in artificial intelligence (AI), funding its initiatives through borrowings, bond sales, and asset disposals. This includes the sale of stakes in companies like NVIDIA and T-Mobile.
The company's latest bond issuance comes as firms across Asia are increasing their spending on AI infrastructure.
Just recently, Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing company Alibaba announced a $10.2 billion share placement to bolster its "full stack" AI capabilities.