SoftBank Shares Rise After Talks of Additional OpenAI Investment
By Kosaku Narioka
SoftBank Group shares rose following news that the Japanese technology investment company is exploring further investment in OpenAI.
Shares were recently 3.4% higher at 4,190 yen, equivalent to $27.53, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $30 billion more in OpenAI, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, as the ChatGPT maker seeks as much as $100 billion in new capital from investors.
The funding round could value OpenAI at up to $830 billion if it raises the full amount.
SoftBank is already one of OpenAI's largest shareholders with a stake that grew to 11% in December, when it invested $22.5 billion.
Tomoichiro Kubota, senior market analyst at Matsui Securities, said progress in OpenAI's fundraising is positive for SoftBank shares in the near term, as it shows there are investors willing to acquire shares of the ChatGPT maker at these valuations.
Concerns remain, however, as rivals such as Anthropic and Google's Gemini have been improving their capabilities. "The competitive environment is getting more severe," Kubota said.
Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 27, 2026 22:50 ET (03:50 GMT)
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