SoftBank Seeks $10 Billion Loan to Refinance OpenAI Stake

SoftBank Group is seeking a $10 billion loan to help refinance debt used for its investment in OpenAI, Bloomberg reported Friday (Aug. 28), citing unnamed sources.

The proceeds of the loan could help repay a $40 billion bridge loan SoftBank secured for its OpenAI investments, according to the report.

SoftBank is also preparing a potential bond sale of up to $20 billion, the report said.

Earlier this month, SoftBank secured a $10 billion loan backed by its stake in OpenAI, per the report.

SoftBank did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

SoftBank said in an earnings results presentation released Aug. 6 that it has made $20 billion in follow-on investments in OpenAI in fiscal year 2026 and plans to complete a third tranche on Oct. 1, bringing its total investment in the AI startup to $64.6 billion and its ownership stake to about 13%.

PYMNTS reported in May that SoftBank’s initial investment in OpenAI came in 2024, when the artificial intelligence startup was valued at $150 billion. By April, OpenAI’s valuation had ballooned to $852 billion.

When SoftBank announced in December 2025 that it had completed an additional $22.5 billion investment in OpenAI, which brought its ownership interest at the time to 11%, SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said in a press release: “We are deeply aligned with OpenAI’s vision of ensuring AGI benefits all of humanity.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in the release: “SoftBank saw the potential of AI early and committed with a deep belief in its impact on humanity. Their global leadership and scale help us move faster and bring advanced intelligence to the world.”

Son told CNBC in June that the AI revolution is probably 50 times bigger than the dot-com one, and that it is “the biggest revolution of technology and realization that mankind ever experienced.”

SoftBank said in June that it launched an AI-powered cybersecurity solution that will be offered in Japan through a SoftBank and OpenAI joint venture called SB OAI Japan.

SoftBank President and CEO Junichi Miyakawa said at the time in a press release: “Leveraging the practical expertise we’ve acquired through our use of OpenAI’s cybersecurity technologies, we’ll confront the increasingly sophisticated cyber threats targeting Japan’s critical infrastructure.”