Key Points:
- SoftBank Group shares rose 14% to 6,881 yen, approaching a record high of 6,923.8 yen.
- The stock’s massive surge builds on a 20% jump from the previous day’s trading session.
- Investors are buying heavily amid potential public stock listings of OpenAI and its energy unit, SB Energy.
- SoftBank recently reported a record annual net profit of 5 trillion yen, heavily driven by its AI investments.
SoftBank Group shares rose sharply on Friday, almost matching the company’s historic high. Investors are buying heavily, driven by a wave of enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and a lineup of highly anticipated public listings.
Shares of the Japanese technology giant jumped up to 14% to hit 6,881 yen by early morning trading. This massive increase brings the stock to within striking distance of its record high of 6,923.8 yen, set last year.
This Friday’s surge followed an even bigger rally on Thursday. The stock skyrocketed by nearly 20% in the previous trading session, adding billions of dollars to SoftBank’s market value.
Much of the recent buying frenzy stems from massive excitement around OpenAI, the startup behind the famous ChatGPT chatbot. Rumors and media reports suggest the company is preparing for its own massive initial public offering (IPO), which could value OpenAI at a staggering $1 trillion. Because SoftBank holds a massive stake in OpenAI, investors realize a successful listing will make SoftBank incredibly rich.
SoftBank also gave investors another reason to buy shares. The conglomerate recently shared its plans to list its local energy and data center business unit, SB Energy. The company wants to transition SB Energy to a publicly traded company, taking advantage of the massive global demand for clean energy and high-powered artificial intelligence facilities.
The Japanese tech conglomerate is also benefiting from a massive boom in the semiconductor sector. Chipmaker Nvidia recently posted blockbuster earnings, triggering a massive rally across all AI-linked stocks. SoftBank’s own chip designer, Arm Holdings, stands out as a prime winner in this sector. Arm designs the highly efficient processors that tech companies need to run artificial intelligence data centers, driving its value up to record highs.
SoftBank’s recent stock surge follows spectacular financial news. Earlier this month, the Tokyo-based firm reported a record-breaking net profit of more than 5 trillion yen, which equals about $32 billion, for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This massive cash windfall represents a spectacular quadrupling of profits compared with the 1.15 trillion yen net profit reported in the previous fiscal year.
A closer look at the books reveals exactly how the company made this money. SoftBank’s massive Vision Fund booked a colossal 3.1 trillion yen investment gain, heavily driven by the soaring valuation of OpenAI. The company also booked a massive 339.1 billion yen, or $2.2 billion, profit from selling its remaining shares in Nvidia back in October, proving that Masayoshi Son’s bets on artificial intelligence have finally paid off in a big way.
Despite making billions, the company plans to spend even more. Masayoshi Son committed to investing an additional $30 billion into OpenAI over the course of 2026. This extra funding will bring SoftBank’s total committed investment in the startup to $64.4 billion, securing a dominant 13 percent ownership stake. To fund this massive spending, SoftBank has sold off other assets, issued bonds, and secured loans using its valuable stake in Arm as collateral.
The massive rally on Friday shows that investors have completely restored their trust in Masayoshi Son’s aggressive technology bets. After years of facing heavy losses from bad investments in unprofitable startup unicorns, SoftBank has successfully transformed itself into the leading corporate champion of the artificial intelligence revolution. As the market prepares for major public listings, the company looks ready to set even more financial records.
