SoftBank Group is heading to Wall Street with hat in hand and a pitch deck full of AI dreams. The Japanese tech conglomerate has scheduled investor meetings at Citigroup’s New York offices from September 14-17 to explore a US dollar junk-bond sale that could range between $10 billion and $20 billion.
The purpose of the offering is straightforward, even if the scale is anything but: SoftBank needs to refinance a $40 billion bridge loan it took out to fund its commitments to OpenAI, where its total expected investment approaches $64.6 billion.
The financing puzzle behind SoftBank’s AI ambitions
SoftBank’s $40 billion bridge loan is set to mature in March 2027, which means the company has roughly six months to find more permanent financing.
SoftBank currently holds a BB+ credit rating from S&P, one notch below investment grade. In the bond world, that label carries real consequences. It means higher borrowing costs, a smaller pool of eligible buyers, and the kind of scrutiny that makes CFOs lose sleep.
