Japanese investment giant SoftBank Group is once again turning to the bond market to get new funding for its growing artificial intelligence goals.
The company plans to raise about ¥260 billion, or roughly $1.6 billion, through subordinated bonds mainly aimed at retail investors. This offering comes just two months after SoftBank finished another big retail bond sale.
According to company documents, the bonds will have a 35-year term, with an option for SoftBank to buy them back after five years. Pricing is expected on June 5, with initial interest rates between 4.8% and 5.8% as SoftBank’s growing need for money drives its aggressive expansion of AI-related investments. The company has invested heavily in OpenAI, with total exposure reportedly over $60 billion.
SoftBank’s funding needs have grown rapidly alongside rising global spending on AI infrastructure, data centres, and advanced computing systems. Earlier reports also said the company cut plans for a large margin loan linked to its OpenAI stake, raising new questions about financial pressure.
Despite those worries, investor demand for AI-linked bond offerings remains strong worldwide. Analysts say retail investors continue to show interest in SoftBank’s debt products because they offer higher returns than Japanese government bonds.
The company recently sold ¥418 billion worth of retail bonds in April, alongside billions of dollars in institutional bonds denominated in US dollars and euros.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has repeatedly emphasized that artificial intelligence will become one of the company’s central long-term growth themes.
SoftBank plans to raise $1.6 billion through another sale of subordinated bonds aimed mainly at individual investors, about two months after a similar retail offering https://t.co/AEiqt0mh32
— Bloomberg (@business) May 25, 2026
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