SoftBank plans $6.29 billion corporate bond issuance amid AI fundraising boom

Alibaba Holding

24/08/2026 04:12

TOKYO, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Group 9984.T said on Monday it plans to issue 1 trillion yen ($6.29 billion) of seven-year corporate bonds aimed at individual investors.
The technology investor set a provisional coupon range between 4.3% and 4.9% for the bonds, according to a regulatory filing.
SoftBank has been ramping up spending on artificial intelligence-related investments, financing the push through borrowings, bond sales and asset disposals, including sales of holdings in Nvidia NVDA.O and T-Mobile TMUS.O.
Companies across Asia are stepping up investment in AI infrastructure. Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing company Alibaba 9988.HK launched a $10.2 billion share placement on Sunday to invest in its "full stack" AI capabilities.
The issuance is SoftBank's largest ever and nearly twice the size of its previous record - a 600 billion yen offering issued in April 2025. 
SoftBank is expected to announce the final terms of the bond issuance on September 4.
     
($1 = 158.9000 yen)

 (Reporting by Hina Suzuki; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
 ((hina.suzuki@thomsonreuters.com))