SoftBank Group plans to issue a record volume of retail bonds, the largest such offering by a Japanese issuer, as the conglomerate seeks to fund its growing investment commitments to OpenAI. The spending on AI signals how companies across Asia are stepping up investment in AI infrastructure. SoftBank Group said Monday it plans to issue 1 trillion yen ($6.3 billion) in unsecured bonds. The seven-year bonds, mainly for retail investors, will have a minimum denomination of 1 million yen, with its annual interest rate expected to fall between 4.30 and 4.90%. The final interest rate will be set on Sept. 4, and subscriptions will run from Sept. 7 through Sept. 16, it said. 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. The Japanese technology conglomerate 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 and T-Mobile. Companies across Asia are stepping up investment in AI infrastructure. Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing company Alibaba launched a $10.2 billion share placement on Sunday to invest in its “full stack” AI capabilities. The company's latest offering is expected to provide more firepower for SoftBank's long-term AI investment agenda, including its growing exposure to OpenAI, analysts said. But some of them warned that rising interest rates could add to concerns about the group's financial position.
