News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

Analysts are divided on whether the spate of AI-related investments SoftBank has announced in recent weeks will help or hurt the Japanese technology investment conglomerate's bottom line

Softbank Group seen booking $1.5 billion quarterly profit

Japan's SoftBank Group is set to make a quarterly net profit of 234 billion yen ($1.54 billion) as shares in its telecommunications holdings edge up and the post-listing performance of Swiggy is seen boosting the value of its portfolio of unlisted technology startups.

Business • 12 Feb

SoftBank has been long known for both volatile earnings and outsized bets on technology companies

SoftBank swings to Q4 profit as comeback gains steam

Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group swung to a quarterly profit today from a year earlier, reporting a net profit of 328.9 billion yen ($2.11 billion) for the three months from January to March.

Business • 13 May 24

Barry Napier, left, will continue as CEO of Cubic Telecom

SoftBank to invest €473m in Irish firm Cubic Telecom

Japan's SoftBank Corp is to invest €473 million in Irish tech firm Cubic Telecom for a 51% equity stake in the company in a deal that values Cubic at more than €900 million.

Business • 05 Dec 23

WeWork had office space available at 777 locations worldwide as of the end of June

WeWork succumbs to bankruptcy in the US

WeWork, the SoftBank Group-backed startup whose meteoric rise and fall reshaped the office sector globally, has sought US bankruptcy protection after its bets on companies using more of its office-sharing space soured.

Business • 07 Nov 23

Shares in flexible workspace company WeWork have fallen roughly 96% this year

WeWork shares sink on plans for bankruptcy filing

WeWork shares fell more than 50% in early trade after media reports that the flexible workspace provider was planning to file for bankruptcy as early as next week.

Business • 01 Nov 23

Arm Holdings made its debut on the Nasdaq on Wall Street yesterday

Arm soars nearly 25% in market debut on Wall Street

Shares in SoftBank's Arm Holdings soared almost 25% above their Nasdaq debut price yesterday, rekindling investor hopes for a turnaround in the moribund market for initial public offerings (IPO).

Business • 15 Sep 23

Arm was founded in 1990, as a joint venture between Acorn Computers, Apple Computer, and VLSI Technology

SoftBank's Arm aims for over $52 billion IPO valuation

SoftBank Group's Arm is seeking a valuation of more than $52 billion in its initial public offering, the chip designer said today as it begins marketing for the biggest US stock market flotation of the year.

Business • 05 Sep 23

SoftBank said it booked a 296 billion yen loss on the value of Vision Fund's private investments

SoftBank plans Vision Fund job cuts after record loss

SoftBank Group is planning to cut headcount at its flagship Vision Fund investing arm, CEO Masayoshi Son said today, after a crash in the value of its portfolio pushed his conglomerate to a record quarterly net loss.

Business • 08 Aug 22

Arm today named a new CEO who it said would help the UK firm seek a public listing before March 2023

SoftBank drops sale of Arm to Nvidia Corporation

SoftBank Group has shelved the sale of Arm to US chipmaker Nvidia Corporation due to regulatory hurdles, the two companies said today.

Business • 08 Feb 22

The fundraising makes Revolut Britain's most valuable fintech firm

Revolut valued at $33bn, as it raises $800m

Digital banking app Revolut has raised around $800 million in a new funding round led by Softbank's Vision Fund and Tiger Global Management, valuing the company at around $33 billion.

Business • 15 Jul 21

After its fine, Tencent said it would actively rectify operations and provide the regulator with timely reports on deals in future

12 Chinese firms fined for violating anti-monopoly law

China's market regulator said today it had fined 12 companies related to 10 deals which it said had violated anti-monopoly rules.

Business • 12 Mar 21

Jack Ma has said he is departing the SoftBank board

SoftBank Vision Fund posts $18 billion operating loss

Japan's SoftBank Group has today reported an annual 1.9 trillion yen ($18 billion) operating loss at its gargantuan Vision Fund, as its tech bets slid below cost, pushing the group to its largest-ever loss.

Business • 18 May 20

Softbank said in statement that given its duty to its shareholders it could no longer proceed with the deal with WeWork

WeWork troubles deepen as SoftBank pulls tender offer

SoftBank Group said it has terminated a $3 billion tender offer for additional WeWork shares agreed last year with shareholders.

Business • 02 Apr 20

WeWork said it opened 97 new sites in the quarter ended September 30, its biggest quarterly expansion ever

WeWork losses widen to $1.25 billion amid record growth

The We Company, owner of WeWork, said its net losses in the third quarter more than doubled to $1.25 billion as the money-losing shared-office operator added a record number of desks to its global network.

Business • 14 Nov 19

The deal with Softbank represents a stunning reversal of fortune for WeWork

SoftBank clinches WeWork takeover deal

SoftBank Group has agreed to spend more than $10 billion to take over US office-space sharing startup WeWork.

Business • 23 Oct 19

WeWork had 622 sites open in 123 cities on October 10, up from its footprint of 528 locations in 111 cities by the end of June

WeWork opens new sites at breakneck speed

WeWork has opened almost as many new locations in the last three and a half months as it did in the whole first half of this year.

Business • 14 Oct 19

Softbank has raised around 2.65 trillion yen ($23.5 billion) via its mobile unit's IPO

SoftBank mobile unit in record IPO but flops on debut

Japanese technology giant SoftBank raised a record amount for its mobile unit in the world's second-biggest ever IPO but the shares plunged in a disappointing debut trading session.

Business • 19 Dec 18

SoftBank, which started as a software firm, has increasingly been seen as an investment firm, ploughing funds into a broad range of companies and projects

SoftBank posts eight-fold jump in first-half net profit

Japan's SoftBank Group has logged an eight-fold jump in net profit in the six months to September thanks to strong returns from its investment funds.

Business • 05 Nov 18

SoftBank in talks WeWork, according to sources

SoftBank in talks to buy majority stake in WeWork

Japan's SoftBank Group is in discussions to buy a majority stake in US shared office space provider WeWork Cos, a source said, potentially doubling down on one of its biggest bets on a loss-making startup.

Business • 10 Oct 18

Travis Kalanick is said to be selling nearly a third of his 10% stake in Uber for about $1.4 billion

Uber ex-CEO Kalanick selling nearly a third of stake

Uber Technologies co-founder Travis Kalanick is selling nearly a third of his 10% stake in the company for about $1.4 billion, a person familiar with the matter has said.

Business • 05 Jan 18

The price of the deal is a roughly 30% discount to Uber's most recent valuation of $68 billion

SoftBank succeeds in tender offer for Uber shares

A consortium led by SoftBank Group will buy a large number of shares of Uber in a deal that values the ride-services firm at $48 billion, Uber has said in a victory for new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi.

Business • 29 Dec 17

Uber's net loss increased to $1.46 billion in the third quarter from $1.06 billion in the previous quarter

Uber's third-quarter net loss widens to $1.46 billion

Uber Technologies' quarterly losses widened, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, as the lift-sharing company wades through legal troubles and faces regulatory scrutiny across the globe.

Business • 29 Nov 17

SoftBank in deal for robot firms Boston Dynamics and Tokyo-based Schaft

SoftBank to buy robotics businesses from Alphabet

SoftBank Group said it would buy two firms that build walking robots from Google's parent company, Alphabet, adding to the Japanese company's growing artificial intelligence portfolio.

Business • 09 Jun 17

Deutsche Telekom believes the US regulatory environment is positive for possible mergers.

Deutsche Telekom optimistic for US merger opportunity

Deutsche Telekom is optimistic about the regulatory environment in the United States under the Trump administration.

Business • 31 May 17

SoftBank will pay 1,700 pence in cash for each ARM share

SoftBank agrees $32 billion deal to buy UK's ARM

Japan's SoftBank Group has agreed to buy British chip designer ARM Holdings for £24.3 billion, in a deal that will retain the company's management and grow its workforce.

Business • 18 Jul 16