SoftBank, a unit of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, is preparing to sell its first euro-denominated bond as founder Masayoshi Son makes a big push into artificial intelligence.
The unit, which listed in 2018 as the mobile arm of SoftBank Group, has mandated a group of banks to arrange investor calls in Asia and Europe starting Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. The potential sale is for benchmark-sized, fixed-rate senior unsecured euro tranches with long six- and 10-year maturities, they said.
SoftBank, which also includes financial services and AI, sold its first U.S. high-grade bond last year. The $1 billion offering of five- and 10-year debt drew demand more than seven times the size of the transaction and priced inside initial guidance.
Parent company SoftBank Group is currently exploring raising as much as $40 billion in the loan market, mostly to help finance its investment in U.S. tech giant OpenAI. That would be its largest-ever dollar-denominated borrowing, and comes as Son tries to position his company as a linchpin in the global AI boom.
The conglomerate’s aggressive push into AI has drawn some scrutiny from ratings firms. S&P Global Ratings recently revised its outlook on SoftBank Group to negative, citing risks related to its growing exposure to OpenAI and broader funding needs.
Europe’s primary market has seen a rush of borrowers today after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, sparking a wave of optimism in financial markets and easing measures of credit risk. At least 11 deals are slated to price, the most since March 16, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, and Mizuho are organizing SoftBank’s investor calls. The offering, which will depend on market conditions, is expected to be rated BBB by S&P Global Ratings and BBB+ by Fitch Ratings.
Originally written by: Helene Durand (Bloomberg)
Source: The Japan Times
Published on: 9 April 2026
Link to original article: SoftBank unit plans debut euro bond as group makes big AI push
