SoftBank secures $40B bridge loan to fund its OpenAI bet

The unsecured facility, arranged with JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho, SMBC and MUFG, matures in March 2027. Once SoftBank’s $30B follow-on investment in OpenAI closes, its cumulative stake will total approximately $64.6B, representing roughly 13% of the company.

Masayoshi Son has never been accused of thinking small, but the pace and scale of his bet on OpenAI is entering territory that is making credit rating agencies nervous.

SoftBank Group announced on Friday that it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan, the largest dollar-denominated loan in its history, to fund its follow-on investment in OpenAI and for general corporate purposes.

The unsecured facility was arranged with JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and MUFG Bank, and matures on 25 March 2027.

The loan provides the financing for SoftBank’s $30 billion follow-on investment in OpenAI through its Vision Fund 2. SoftBank entered into a ...