SoftBank secures $40 billion for OpenAI investment
▼ Summary
– SoftBank Group secured a $40 billion unsecured bridge loan, its largest dollar-denominated loan, to fund investments and general purposes.
– The loan specifically finances a $30 billion follow-on investment in OpenAI, part of a larger $110 billion fundraising round by the company.
– Upon completing this investment, SoftBank’s total stake in OpenAI will reach roughly $64.6 billion, representing about 13% ownership.
– Credit rating agency S&P lowered SoftBank’s outlook, expressing concern that its large OpenAI exposure could harm liquidity and credit quality.
– This financing supports SoftBank’s broader commitment, announced in 2024, to invest $100 billion in U.S. AI infrastructure over four years.
SoftBank Group has secured a massive $40 billion bridge loan to fuel its aggressive expansion into artificial intelligence, marking the largest dollar-denominated loan in the company’s history. The funds will primarily support a planned $30 billion follow-on investment in OpenAI and other corporate needs. This financial move underscores the staggering scale of Masayoshi Son’s commitment to generative AI, a strategy that is now drawing scrutiny from credit rating agencies.
The unsecured loan facility was arranged by a consortium of major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and MUFG Bank. It is set to mature on March 25, 2027. This financing directly enables SoftBank’s participation through Vision Fund 2 in OpenAI’s latest funding round, for which a definitive agreement was signed on February 27, 2026.
OpenAI’s current fundraising effort aims to secure a total of $110 billion at an $840 billion valuation. The round includes $30 billion from SoftBank, another $30 billion from Nvidia, and $50 billion from Amazon. Once this transaction closes, SoftBank’s total stake in OpenAI will reach approximately $64.6 billion, representing a roughly 13% ownership interest in the company. This represents a rapid escalation from the 11% stake SoftBank held just at the end of December 2025.
To finance its earlier investments in OpenAI, SoftBank has liquidated other significant holdings, including its position in Nvidia. The company’s famous Vision Fund portfolio has experienced volatile swings between major gains and losses over the past decade. The current massive bet on OpenAI effectively represents a concentrated wager that generative AI will generate returns substantial enough to justify the high degree of financial leverage involved.
This aggressive strategy is causing concern among analysts. This week, S&P lowered its credit outlook on SoftBank, citing worries that the sheer scale of its OpenAI exposure could negatively impact the firm’s liquidity and the overall credit quality of its asset base. The move highlights the risks associated with such a large, focused investment.
The broader context for this financing is SoftBank’s established commitment to U. S. AI infrastructure. The company was a founding partner of the Stargate Project alongside OpenAI, an initiative announced in early 2025 targeting up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure investment over four years. Furthermore, in December 2024, Masayoshi Son and then President-elect Donald Trump jointly announced SoftBank’s plan to invest $100 billion in AI and related infrastructure in the United States over the same period.
The new $40 billion bridge loan serves as a key mechanism for funding these enormous commitments. According to the company, borrowings under the facility are expected to be repaid in stages through its maturity date, utilizing proceeds from existing assets and other future financing sources.
(Source: The Next Web)
