SoftBank Raises $11 Billion in Bonds for OpenAI Investment
SoftBank has raised $11 billion through a bond sale to fund its ongoing investment in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. The financing includes $10 billion in dollar-denominated notes and €1 billion in euro-denominated bonds with varying maturities from 3.5 years up to 7.5 years for the dollar tranche and 4-6 years for the euro tranche. This latest move is part of a broader pattern where SoftBank has borrowed heavily—$41.5 billion last year alone—and sold its stake in Nvidia, reportedly valued at $5.8–6 billion, to support OpenAI. In February 2026, it committed an additional $30 billion and secured another $40 billion bridge loan from major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. The firm's total investment in OpenAI is nearing $65 billion by October 2026. However, this strategy has raised concerns about credit risk as SoftBank’s debt profile remains speculative grade (BB), according to S&P.
Topics: AI investment bond issuance debt financing OpenAI SoftBank